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DAVID RESCUED BY THE INDIANS. ' 



^ 55 










MANGO 


THE PERUVIAN CHIEF; 


OR, 



AN ENGLISHMANS ADVENTURES IN THE 
COUNTRY OF THE INCAS. 


WILLIAM H. a KINGSTON, ESQ., 

»i 7 


AUTHOR OF 


‘ PETER THE WHALER,’ ‘ MARK SEA WORTH,’ ‘ JOHN DEANE OF NOTTINGHAM, 
‘ SALT WATER,’ ‘ THREE MIDSHIPMEN,' ‘ HURRICANE HARRY,’ 


‘ THE THREE LIEUTENANTS,’ ETC. 




WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CARL SCHMOLZE. 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

SUP. ‘.COUNCIL, 

SO.‘-JURiSDICT!ON. 

NEW YOKE: 


E. P. DUTTON & CO. 

GRIFFITH AND FARRAN, ST. PAUL’s CHURCHYARD, LONDON. 





TZi 

• Kioii 



MORRISON AND GIBB, EDINBURGH, 
PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE. 


KSfa'-ary of Suo.. 

preme Council A.A. 

Aug 4 0.3 940 


CONTENTS, 


PACK 

CHAPTER L 

My Family, and the Reasons which made them quit England — 

A Description of our Home in the ancient Dominions of the 
Incas — Good Deeds are never unrequited — The native 
Population — My Father loved by them all — A fugitive 
Indian — He implores our Protection — My Father conceals 
him at great Risk, and trusts that an Act of Mercy may 
not bring us Suffering — My Sister Lilly and I in the 
Secret, ....... 1. 


CHAPTER IL 

My Dreams of Pursuit and Capture seem likely to be realized 
— Unwelcome Visitors, and their four-legged Companion 
— They make themselves at Home — Demonio smells a 
Rat — I have just cause to tremble for Manco’s safety — 
Spanish Alguazils having raised more Spirits than they 
expected in their Search of the subterranean Passage, are 
obliged to raise their own with Wine — Manco rescues me 
from the Bloodhound, . . • • .12 


CHAPTER III. 

The Pursuers are baffled, and continue their Way across the 
Mountains in search of the Fugitive — The Indian, un- 


CONTENTS, 


PACK 

him with us — Obliged to leave him — I give him my Pistol 
to defend himself from Beasts of prey — He fires at me, but 
misses — Oasis appears as distant as ever — My Father falls 
fainting from his Horse — I dismount to aid him, and both 
Horses escape— My Father begs me to endeavour to reach 
the Oasis without him — I refuse to leave him — Night 
comes on — I fall into a Stupor — Eoused by the touch of 
a Jaguar — Fire at him — Endeavour to proceed — My Father 
sinks exhausted, . . . . . .73 


CHAPTER VII. 

Death seems inevitable — Amoving Object— Ithulpo with our 
Baggage Mule appears on the Horizon — I vainly strive to 
shout to him — Wave my Handkerchief — He comes towards 
us — Gives us Water, Fruit, and Food — My Father revives 
— Ithulpo’s Adventures — His Ignorance of the Route was 
feigned — He has rescued his Captive Countrymen and 
come in Search of us— Reach the Oasis — Miserable Death 
of the Spaniards — Fearful Spectacle — Recover our Horses 
— Reach the Boundary of the Desert — Rest at an Indian 
Village — Proceed towards Lima — Enter Lima — Motley 
Population — Description of our Host’s Residence — Luxury 
of a Net Hammock — Spanish Hospitality — Fare — Dancing 
— The Hour of Prayer — InefBcacy of mere outward Form 
— Ithulpo warns me to hasten our Return Home — Account 
of Lima— The Place of the Witches— Public Buildings — 
Population — Costume — Slave Population — Their Clubs or 
Confradias — Mama Rosa, the Queen of the Mandingos — 

My Father prepares for our immediate Return Home — 
Court of Mama Rosa — Her Audience Chamber — State Ball 
— Escape an Earthquake — Reach Home, . • .102 


CHAPTER VIII. 

Spanish Troops seen marching towards our Dwelling — Ithulpo, 


CONTENTS. 


vli 


rA.GE 

rushing down from the Mountains, entreats us to shut bur 
Gates — My Father doubts the prudence of resisting their 
Entrance — Army of the Inca appears on the Mountain 
Side — We follow Ithulpo’s Advice — My Parents and the 
Family escape by the Secret Passage — ^My Mother’s Pre- 
sence of Mind — Its beneficial Effect — A Detachment of 
Spaniards forces an Entrance — Unable to resist watching 
the Fight, I clamber upon the Eoof — Detachment of 
Indians attack the House — Main Body of Spaniards 
endeavour to force the Mountain Paos — A Lull — ^Eenewed 
Attack upon the House — Indians scale the Walls — Set 
Fire to the Building — I am compelled to descend from my 
Position — ^Eeinforcement of Indians appears through the 
Secret Passage — Flames gain ground — I endeavour to 
Escape — Borne down in the Melde, I am wounded, and 
lose all Consciousness, . . • • .125 


CHAPTER IX 

I revive, to find myself in Manco’s Hut, tended by his Wife, 
Nita — The Inca, Tupac Amaru, or Condorcanqui — The 
Indians throughout Peru in Arms, and whole Villages of 
Spaniards depopulated — I seek in vain for Tidings of my 
Parents — Causes of the Revolt — Repartimiento — Forced 
Sale of Spectacles — Title of Tupac Amaru — History of 
Condorcanqui — Massacre at Tungasuca — Manco brings 
me heavy Tidings of the Death of Ithulpo, and supposed 
Death of my Family — I resolve to go myself in search of 
them — Manco promises me Assistance, . . . Idl 


CHAPTER X. 

I take leave of Nita, and Manco accompanies me on my 
Journey — Head-quarters of Tupac Amaru — Manco’s san- 
guine Hopes — Crossing the Puna Heights — Vicunas — • 
Puna Stag — Rock Rabbits — Condors — Painful Effects of 


CONTENTS. 


PAGa 

rarified Atmosphere — Mountain Storm — Lose the Path — 

I am attacked with Surumpe or Blindness, caused by the 
Glare of the Sun upon the Snow — Take Shelter in a 
Cave — Discover the Corpse of a Spaniard — Continue our 
Journey — Descend from the Alto — Manco takes leave of 
me — My new Guide, Pedro — Satisfied with my Letters of 
Introduction — Concealed Wealth of the Indians — Story of 
the Gambling Padre — How he told his Beads, but his 
Beads told him nothing — Condor caught in a Trap — 
Legend of the Water Monster — Approach the ruined 
Village where Ithulpo was said to have been found — We 
ask in vain amongst the Indians for Tidings, • . 153 


CHAPTER XL 

Enter the ruined Village — Fearful Traces of Slaughter in the 
Church — I find what I believe to be my Sister Lilly’s 
Handkerchief — Number of Wild Beasts — Pedro’s Un- 
willingness to remain amongst the Dead — We take up 
our Quarters in a roofless House — We are discovered by 
a War Party of Indians from the North — Taken Prisoners 
by them — It was the Party who had destroyed the Village 
— My Hopes of recovering my Family are almost ex- 
tinguished — ^We are conducted to the Main Body of the 
Army — Their General, Tupac Catari, is a Rival of 
Tupac Amaru — He detains Pedro and me to act as his 
Secretaries — Importance of Example, • • .175 


CHAPTER XIL 

The Forces of Tupac Catari enter a Defile — Pedro and I dis- 
cuss the Possibility of Escaping — Pedro longs to see the 
World — His Character — Catari surprised by Spanish 
Troops — Pedro and I climb up the Cliffs — Witness the 
Fight — Catari is killed, and the Indians completely routed 
— Encounter a Body of Spaniards guarding the Entrance 


CONTENTS. 


ix 


to the Defile — Again made Prisoners — Courteously treated 
by their Captain, Don Eduardo da Villa — Give a true 
Account of ourselves — He asks me to act as Guide to 
the encampment of Tupac Amaru — I decline — Kecon- 
noitring Party sent in Search of the Main Body of the 
Aimy — They join us with Booty and Prisoners, . , 191 


CHAPTER XIII. 

Encamped within earshot of the Scene of Battle — Cries of the 
Wounded, attacked by Wild Beasts, audible throughout 
the Night — Spanish Colonel summons Pedro and me to 
give an Account of ourselves — Informs me that my Father 
has been killed with all his Family, and accuses me of 
having aided the Indians — Don Eduardo is sent to offer 
me Liberty, on Condition of leading the Spaniards to 
Tupac Amaru’s Camp — I again decline — Pedro does the 
same — Marched with the other Prisoners to St. Pablo — 
Description of the Town and Prison — Pedro and I in a 
Dungeon — An Unknown Friend intercedes for us — ^Re- 
moved to better Quarters — Gather Rumours of our pro- 
bable Fate — a Friend in Need — Indian Prisoners shot in 
the Square beneath our Window — Manco led out for 
Execution — His Escape, ..... 209 


CHAPTER XIY. 

Don Eduardo brings an Advocate to prepare our Defence for 
our Trial — Our Case considered desperate — Friend in 
Need again — His Self-possession maintains our Courage 
— We prepare to Escape — Interrupted — Succeed — Embark 
on the River — Plans for the Future — Ned Gale’s Account 
of himself — ^We land, and reach the Cover of a Forest 
before Daylight — Portrait of Ned Gale, . . .234 


X 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB 

CHAPTEE XV. 

Xed constructs a Boat of Eushes to cross a Stream — Encounter 
an Army of Locusts — False Alarm — Monkeys — Pedi*o 
seized by a Jaguar — Trees catch Fire — Serpents and Wild ' 
Beasts — Fire pursues us — Ned refuses to desert us — We 
gain a Sandy Plain — Watch the increasing Fire, , . 254 

CHAPTEE XVI. 

Travel towards Cuzco— Make ourselves at Home in an old 
Fort — Visit from a Black Bear — Surprised by Indians — 
Marched towards Head-quarters of the Inca — A Chacu or 
Battue, of Vicunas — The Army of the Incas — Tupac Amaru 
invites us to enlist in his Cause — Arrival of Manco — De- 
tails of his Escape — I promise to fight by Manco’s Side, . 272 

CHAPTEE XVII. 

Court of Tupac Amaru — Accompany Manco to .Sarata — Its 
Siege — Terms offered to the Besieged — Treachery — De- 
struction of the Town — Manco’s Prisoner, Don Gomez de 
Castro — Eeturn to the Camp of Tupac Amaru — Surprised 
by Spanish Army — Capture of Tupac Amaru — ^Flight of 
Manco, ....... 292 


CHAPTEE XVIII. 

Don Gomez asks for his Liberty — Pedro engages his attention 
— ^Nita and her Child pursued by Spaniards — Don Gomez 
wounded — Manco conducts us to a Cavern — Don Gomez 
discovers his long lost Son — Ned sets of in search of In- 
telligence — Don Gomez dies — Murder of Tupac Amaru — 
Manco retreats — Pedro decides on sharing my Fortunes, . SC 6 

CHAPTEE XIX. 

Visit to the Grave of an Indian— Quit the Cavern — Proceed 


CONTENTS. 


along the Ceja de la Montana — Arrive at the I’arm of a 
Cacique — Hospitably received by his Wife — Manco in- 
forms her of her Husband’s Death — Gathering Peruvian 
Bark — Party of Indian Merchants— Explore the Neigh- 
bourhood — Magnificent Vegetation — A Lagune — Hum- 
ming Birds — Nests of the Pouched Starling — Jomaleros — 
Dios te dk — Yacumaman — Stag caught by it — Exquisite 
Notes of the Organista — Pedro bitten by a Snake — Thunder 
Storm — Huaco Plant applied to Pedro’s Wound, . . 324 


CHAPTEK XX. 

Spaniards in Pursuit — Continue our Jdumey — Separated from 
my Friends — Attacked by Peccaries — Observe some fierce 
Cashibos — Alarm at Manco’s Absence — Attacked by Cashi- 
bos — Ketreat — ^Keach the Ucayali — Take post on a Hock — 
Expected attack, ...... 336 


CHAPTER XXL 

Voyage on the Amazon — Para — Sail for Rio de Janeiro — All’s 
vrell that ends well, ..... 354 


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• OFTtiS . 

SUP. '.COUNCIL, 

.■.JuiiiSDJCTlQN* , . - ■ .- 

MANGO, 

THE PEKUTIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER I. 

AIY FAAIILT AND HOME — WE CONCEAL A FUGITIVE 
INDIAN. 

It was evening. The snn had just set beneath the 
waters of the Pacific, which could be distinguished in 
the far distance; and the whole western sky, un- 
dimmed by a cloud, was burning with a radiant glow 
of splendour such as to the eyes of the untutored 
Peruvians might well appear an emanation from the 
Deity they worshipped. 

I was looking out, with others of my family, from 
the windows of the country house we inhabited, on 
the glorious spectacle. We were residing in Peru, 
that romantic region with which the name of the 
conqueror Pizarro must be for ever associated— the 
kingdom of the once powerful and enlightened Incas, 
on the western shore of South America. At the time 
of which I speak, however, its greatness, its prosperity 
and happiness, had passed away ; it was a mere pro- 
vince of Old Spain, and governed by a viceroy sent 
from that country, while the race of its ancient sove- 
reigns, though still existing, was humbled and dis- 
regarded, and almost unknown. 

A 


2 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


My parents were English, and England was my 
native land. My father, Mr. Henry Rexton, had been 
a soldier in his youth ; but when he married my mother, 
who was the daughter of an eminent British merchant, 
he quitted the army ; and my grandfather induced him, 
by advantageous offers, to take a share in his house 
of business. The firm traded with Peru ; and certain 
mercantile transactions of importance requiring for a 
time the superintendence of a partner, my father and 
mother went out there, taking with them me and a 
younger sister, their only children then born. Year 
after year unexpected circumstances occurred which 
compelled them, much against their wish, to remain in 
the country ; and well do I remember how frequently 
in our family circle the subject of conversation was 
the happiness we expected to enjoy on returning home. 
On first going to Peru, we resided in Lima, the modern 
capital ; but at length the heat of the climate affecting 
my mother’s health, in the hopes of it being restored by 
a cooler atmosphere, my father engaged a house in the 
country, at a considerable distance from the city. It 
was situated among the lower ranges of the lofty 
Cordilleras, one of those mighty ranges of mountains 
which stretches from one end to the other of the South 
American continent, the eastern portion of them being 
more properly known by the name of the Andes, 

Our house stood on a level spot on the summit of a 
spur of the main chain. To the east behind it rose 
range above range of mountains, the more distant 
towering to the sky, and covered with eternal snows. 
On either side other spurs stretched out far towards 
the west, forming deep gorges below us ; while along 
the side of the ridge on which the house was situated 


MY FAMILY AND HOME. 


3 


ran a narrow road, one of the few paths in that neigh- 
bourhood, penetrating among the mountains into the 
regions on the eastern side. From our windows west- 
ward, over a wide extent of broken ground among the 
mounds, many of which might in other countries be 
called mountains, would be seen the fertile plains of 
Peru stretching away to the ocean, distinguished on 
clear days by a silvery line in the horizon. The house 
was of one floor only, and built of brick and tiled. 
The rooms were large and numerous, and it was sur- 
rounded by a court-yard. It was of ancient construc- 
tion, indeed it appeared to have been built originally 
for a fortification to command the pass through the 
mountains ; but the outer walls had fallen into decay 
or been pulled down, though it still retained enough 
of its former character to enable it to be speedily 
prepared to resist any sudden attack by undisciplined 
forces destitute of artillery. Around it were planta- 
tions of olive and orange trees, on the slopes near it 
were vineyards, and on the level spaces fields of maize 
or Indian corn, and many trees and plants of a tem- 
perate clime. At the bottom of the ravine rushed' a 
broad and powerful stream, fed by the snows of the 
neighbouring mountains ; and on its banks, in a wider 
part, some little way to the west, was a large village 
inhabited chiefly by Indians, the descendants of the 
hapless race conquered by the Spaniards. In the 
neighbourhood, on the other side of the river, was a 
silver mine, in working which many of the inhabitants 
of the village were employed. 

My father’s house had, I believe, advanced money 
to the owners ; and this was one of the reasons which 
made him select the locality for his temporary residence, 


4 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


besides its peculiar healthiness and beauty. He was a 
firm friend to the Indians, for he pitied their hard fate ; 
and he endeavoured by every means in his power to 
mitigate their sufferings under the cruel tyranny to 
which, even at that time, they were subjected. As 
he did not own the mine, he could not prevent their 
strength from being often overtaxed ; but having some 
knowledge of medicine, he used to prescribe for them 
when they were sick, and he to the best of his means 
relieved them when overtaken by poverty, so that they 
all learned to love and reverence the English stranger 
who had come among them. His conduct was un- 
influenced by any expectation of a return, but he after- 
wards had reason to know that the despised Indians 
were not ungrateful for his kindness. My father was 
a true Christian, who looked upon all men helpless or 
suffering, whatever their hue, or race, or religion, as 
brothers, whom it was his duty to aid and protect. 
He received his reward ; and my belief is, that no per- 
son ever performs a good disinterested action without 
being rewarded for it even in this world. I, at all 
events, have met with numerous instances which tend 
to show that such is the case. The means of crossing 
the river to the mines was by a large hanging bridge, 
called by the Spaniards ‘ Puente de Soga,* which could 
be seen from the windows of our house. On either 
side of the river, some fifty feet above the water, stout 
posts were driven into the steep bank, to which four 
ropes, formed of twisted cow-hides the thickness of 
a man’s arm, w6re fastened. These ropes were laid 
parallel to each other, a few feet apart; and were 
again fastened by thinner ropes laid transversely, and 
forming a sort of network. On this foundation were 


MY FAMILY AND HOME. 


5 


spread roots of the Agave tree, branches of trees, straw, 
and earth, so that even beasts of burden could walk 
across. On either side of the bridge, and about three 
feet above it, two other ropes were carried across to 
serve as a balustrade; but as it had sunk in the 
middle, and the ropes were very slack, it frequently 
swung from side to side as passengers went across, in 
a most terrific way. It formed a very picturesque 
object in the landscape. 

I have now given a sufficiently full description of our 
house and the scenery surrounding it, to enable my 
readers to form a tolerably correct idea of the picture 
I wish to present to them. 

At the time when the adventures I have resolved to 
narrate commenced, I had just attained my fifteenth 
year. I looked older, for I had grown rapidly in that 
warm climate ; and, accustomed to exercise and athletic 
sports, I was of a well-knit strong frame, and had a 
very manly appearance, though possessed of the light 
hair and complexion of the Saxon race, somewhat 
tanned, however, by constant exposure to the sun. My 
brothers and sisters, for I had several, all bore the same 
marked characteristics of our Northern ancestors, con- 
trasting strongly with the swarthy hue on the counte- 
nances of the people among whom we lived. They 
used to call us the fair-haired children of the North ; 
and from the love and respect with which they regarded 
us, I believe they associated us in their minds with the 
revered race whom their traditions told them once ruled 
the country with paternal sway — the family of the 
fallen Incas. 

I shall have to tell more fully, in the course of my 
narrative, the beautiful legend, for so I may call it, 


6 


MA.NCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


regarding the origin of the Incas ; how they appeared 
suddenly among the ignorant inhabitants of Peru, 
claiming to be the children of the Sun, and, gathering 
their scattered tribes together, formed them into one 
people, and gave them laws and institutions, and 
brought peace and prosperity to the land, which con- 
tinued till the Spaniards arrived, and, with unexampled 
treachery and cruelty, overthrew their monarchy and 
reduced the people to abject slavery and misery. The 
Indians around us were nominally Roman Catholics ; 
but though they conformed openly to the ordinances of 
that Church, and partly believed in the power assumed 
by its priests, they pertinaciously retained many of the 
superstitions of their ancestors, and practised their rites 
in secret. 

Having given a brief account of my family, and 
their position in the country, I must begin to unwind 
the thread of my Tale. We were seated, as I have 
said, in our sitting-room, gazing on one of the most 
magnificent of Nature’s spectacles — the setting sun. 
The younger children were playing about the room, 
while my sister Lilly and I, with our father and mother, 
were seated near the open window. We were talking, 
I well remember, about our distant home, when our 
conversation was interrupted by seeing a man leap over 
the wall of the court-yard, and rapidly approach the 
house. 

‘ Who can he be ? What brings him here ? ’ ex- 
claimed my mother, while my father rose to make in- 
quiries on the subject. 

Scarcely had she spoken, when the door was thrown 
open, and the person we had seen rushed into the room. 


WE CONCEAL A FUGITIVE INDIAN. 


7 


lie was a tall man, of well-knit, active frame, and 
though he looked travel-stained and weary, there was 
something in his appearance and manner which be- 
tokened that he was not an ordinary being. His com- 
plexion was dark, though scarcely darker than that of 
a Spaniard ; but the contour of his features and the ex- 
pression of his countenance showed that he belonged 
to the Indian race. His dress was simple, consisting of 
a pair of trowsers, and a shirt of the cotton cloth of the 
country, of a dark blue colour ; a poncho of alpaca 
wool covered his shoulders, while a sash was fastened 
round his waist, and his feet were protected by sandals, 
fastened on by leather thongs. He threw himself on 
the ground before my father, who went to meet him, 
and taking his hand, he looked up imploringly in his 
face. 

‘ Save me, Senor ! ’ he exclaimed in Spanish, ‘ you 
have the power if you will venture to do it. I am 
flying from what they call justice — the tyranny of our 
cruel task-masters. If I am captured, my death is 
certain. You are noble and generous, and I throw 
myself on your mercy.’ 

The appeal thus made, with all the energy of despair, 
was difficult to resist. My father’s feelings were en- 
listed on the side of the fugitive ; but he looked round 
at my mother and us, who now stood grouped about 
him, and remembered the difficulties to which we might 
be exposed, should he yield to the promptings of his 
heart, from the anger of the Spanish authorities. The 
Indian divined his thoughts. 

‘You run no danger,’ he continued. ‘Far be it 
from me to cause you to suffer for your charity. No 
one saw me approach vour house; neither did your 


8 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


servants observe me enter it. I was on my way 
through the mountains to the far interior, but not 
daring to enter any house for food and rest, I felt 
that my strength was forsaking me, and that I 
could not hope to combat with the difficulties of 
the road. If you cannot shelter me, noble Seuor, 
either I must die from fatigue, or be captured by 
my enemies.’ 

‘ Of what crime have you been guilty, that you thus 
seek to fly from justice?’ asked my father. 

‘ Of no crime, Seuor, believe me,’ replied the Indian 
in a proud tone, rising to his feet as he spoke. ‘ Of no 
crime in the sight of Heaven, or even of men, if they had 
regard to justice. I was selected for the hated Meta; 
I, a descendant of the great Incas, was ordered to work 
as a slave — a Pongo in the house of a sub-delegado, 
a man noted for his crimes and cruelty. I refused to 
perform the disgraceful office — I was dragged there 
by force — with a thong he endeavoured to frighten 
me into performing the work he ordered. His rage 
surpassed all bounds ; he struck me again and again. 
Was I tamely to submit? My dormant spirit was 
aroused. I at length struck him again ; and when he 
rushed at me in his fury, I felled him to the ground. 
I attempted to fly, but I was captured ere I could do 
so, and was borne off to prison, there to await my 
doom, which would have been death. My name was 
unknown. They thought I was an humble Indian; 
but some of my race were at hand, and, aided by 
them, I effected my escape from prison. My friends 
could not conceal me, and my only course was instant 
flight into the mountains.’ 

‘ Let us shelter him, Henry,’ exclaimed my mother, 


■\VE CONCEAL A FUGITIVE INDIAN. 9 

in English ; ‘ Heaven surely will not allow us to suffer 
injury from doing what is right.* 

The Indian at once comprehended by her looks that 
she was pleading his cause. 

‘ May the blessing of the God of my fathers light on 
you and yours !* he cried, kneeling at her feet. 

My father thought as she did ; but he had learned 
not to give way on a sudden to the impulse of his feel- 
ings, and he wished to ascertain that the Indian was 
not deceiving him before he promised his protection. 

‘ Who are you ?* he asked ; ‘ though your tale, alas ! 
is too probable to be doubted.* 

‘ I am one who would not be guilty of a falsehood 
to save my life,* answered the Indian proudly; ‘I am 
the cousin of the Cacique Tupac Amaru, the rightful 
heir of the last Inca of Peru. You see in me one of 
the children of the Sun ; and though the blood of the 
conquerors of my country is mixed in my veins, I feel 
that of my fathers still burning strongly within me. I 
had heard of your charity and kindness to my people ; 
and for long I have known you, hoping some day to 
repay you ; but I see that you fear my presence might 
risk the safety of your family, and I will not trespass 
on you. Give me but some food to sustain my wearied 
body, and I will depart.* 

JVfy father took the stranger’s hand. ‘ You shall not 
go,’ he said. ‘ I will trust you, and at all hazards I 
will endeavour to conceal you till your strength is re- 
cruited. David,* he continued, speaking to me, ‘see 
that the servants do not come into this part of the 
house till I have concealed this poor fellow; and re- 
member, children, do none of you on any account 
speak of what has occurred. Now, my friend,’ ho 


10 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


added, turning to the Indian, ‘ follow me ; I trust in the 
truth of your story, and will endeavour to preserve 
you from injury.' 

While I went out to the end of the passage to send 
any of the domestics back who might by chance have 
been coming to that part of the house, my father led 
the Indian to a large unfurnished room, which the 
children used as a play -room in rainy weather. At 
one end was a deep recess in the wall, with a door to 
it, and from the recess a narrow flight of steps led to 
a vault of considerable depth, from whence there was 
a passage to the side of the mountains. In the roof 
of the chamber there was a small trap-door, through 
which a thin ladder conducted to the roof of the house. 
It had evidently been constructed when the building 
was used as a fortification, and was probably intended 
to enable the garrison to make a sudden sortie on the 
enemy at an unexpected point. The outside entrance 
was blocked up by rubbish overgrown with vegetation; 
and my father had caused a strong door to be placed 
to the vault, to prevent any intruder, who might by 
chance have found his way through it, from entering 
the house. He always kept the keys himself ; and as 
no one ever thought of wishing to enter the recess, a 
securer place for the concealment of the fugitive could 
not have been found. Our evening meal was, fortu- 
nately, spread in the parlour, so that we were able to 
supply our guest with the refreshment he so much re- 
quired, without exciting the suspicion of the servants. 
I must remark that several of them, of the higher class, 
were Spanish, though the rest were Indians ; and though 
we believed them to be honest and faithful, my father 
did not consider it right to trust them with a secret 


WE COXCEAL A FUGITIVE INDIAN. 


11 


which might compromise them as well as himself and 
all his family. . 

He was very sensible, even as it was, of the risk that 
he was running ; but he had resolved, at all hazards, to 
preserve the unfortunate man who had thrown himself 
on his protection. While I kept watch, my mother 
collected some bedding, and took it into the closet ; so 
that in a few minutes our guest was made as comfort- 
able as circumstances could allow. He ate sparingly 
of the food placed before him, and then, expressing his 
deep gratitude for the protection afforded him, he threw 
himself on his couch, and sought the repose he so much 
needed. My father having secured the door, called me 
to him, and we all again assembled in the sitting-room 
as if nothing had occurred, till summoned by the ser- 
vant to our evening meal. The arrival of the stranger 
had, however, an influence on my future fortunes. 

While our servant Jose, who was a Spanish creole, 
was waiting at table, I could not help looking into his 
face to try and discover if he suspected anything ; but 
the look of perfect unconsciousness which his counte- 
nance bore reassured me. I was afraid also that the 
children might betray it to their nurses; but our mother 
had kept them carefully shut up in the sitting-room 
while our father was concealing the stranger, so that 
they were under the impression that he had gone away. 
Lilly and I were therefore the only ones in the secret. 


12 


IIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER II. 

UNWELCOME VISITORS. 

When we retired to rest, all night long I dreamed of 
the unhappy descendant of the Inca who was beneath 
our roof. Some of the incidents of which I had read 
in Peruvian history were strongly mixed up in my 
mind with the reality, with the indistinctness which 
generally occurs in dreams. 

I thought our guest was the mild and unfortunate 
Huascar, the rightful Inca of Peru, who was a prisoner 
in the hands of his fierce brother Atahualpa when the 
Spaniards attacked Peru with their small but deter- 
mined band of robber- warriors. I thought I was aid- 
ing Huascar to escape from among his brother’s army. 
We had passed the guards, who were fast asleep, when 
we came to a broad river. We attempted to swim 
across, when I felt my strength failing me. Huascar 
was bravely buffeting the stream by my side. Suddenly 
the bank was lined with troops. They shouted to us, 
and let fly a cloud of arrows at the Inca. He stopped 
swimming. I endeavoured to drag him on ; but as I 
grasped at him he sank below the water. The shouts 
grew louder. I awoke. The noise was real, for I 
heard the voices of some men calling in Spanish at the 
court-yard gate, and desiring to be let in. 

I trembled with alarm ; for I at once suspected that 
the strangers must be the emissaries ^ of government 


UNWELCOME VISITORS. 


13 


come in search of our guest. I jumped up and began 
to dress myself, intending to go out to inquire who they 
were ; but before I had left my room I heard Jose, the 
servant, hold a parley with them at the gate. 

‘ Who are you,’ he asked, ‘ who come at this unrea- 
sonable hour to disturb a quiet family ? ’ 

‘ Open in the king’s name, and we will let you know,* 
was the answer he received. 

‘ I must get my master’s leave first, and he is fast 
asleep,’ he replied. 

‘We are government officers in search of a fugitive 
malefactor, and are benighted on our road ; so you must 
awake your master whoever he is, and he will not refuse 
to give us shelter,’ they exclaimed. 

I now went out to join Jose. He was afraid they 
were robbers ; and I suspected that they by some means 
knew that the fugitive was harboured in the house, and 
only made this a pretext to gain an entrance. Fortu- 
nately my father was not awakened by the noise, or he 
might have had more difficulty than had the servant 
in answering the questions put by the officers of justice. 
Opening a slide in the gate through which he could 
look out, Jose let the light of the lantern fall on the 
strangers, and the inspection convinced him that they 
were what they represented themselves to be. 

‘Be quick there,’ said the strangers, ‘for we have 
but a short time to rest, and we must speedily be again 
on our road.’ 

‘ What shall I do, Master David?’ said Jose. ‘ If we 
do not let them in they will batter down the door ; but 
still I do not like to disturb the Senor Rexton. They 
do not look like robbers, so it is all right.’ With the 
knowledge that the Indian concealed in. the house was 


14 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


in all probability the fugitive the oflScers were seeking, 
I felt that it was all wrong, and would have given much 
to have kept them out ; but still I saw that it would be 
equally dangerous to attempt to do so. My heart all 
the time was beating audibly with agitation ; and I was 
afraid that even Jose would suspect the secret. How- 
ever, I replied, ‘ Let them in, Jose, by all means, and 
do you attend to what they require.’ 

He accordingly withdrew the bolts and bars of the 
gate, and two chief officers — alguazils they are called 
— and four subordinates made their appearance. 

Two of them remained without to take care of their 
horses. They were all fierce, rough-looking fellows, 
armed with muskets, pistols in their belts, and swords 
by their sides. The officers of justice (though I do not 
think the name is a proper one) were often pardoned 
banditti, cutthroats and robbers of the blackest dye, 
who were glad to accept the office as an alternative for 
the garotte; and I believe our visitors were of that 
description. The inferiors were Mestizos, half Indian 
and half Spaniards by descent, with dark brown com- 
plexions and savage countenances — altogether gentle- 
men of a very unprepossessing appearance. They were 
accompanied by a dog, a huge, savage-looking hound, 
whom they called by the very ugly name of Demonio, 
If he was a bloodhound, as at first I thought he was, 
I felt that the detection of the Indian would be certain. 

‘ You were a long time opening the gate, friend,’ 
observed one of them as they strode into the house. 
‘ You took us for robbers, I suppose ?’ 

‘ 0 no, Seuor, not at all,’ said J ose ; ‘ but a servant 
should not let strangers into the house without his 
master’s leave.’ 


UNWELCOME VISITORS. 


15 


‘Is that young seuor your master then?’ inquired 
the alguazil. 

‘ He is my master’s son ; my master is Seuor Rexton, 
an Englishman, and he is fast asleep,’ said Jose. 

‘Well, you need not disturb him then; all we want 
is food and shelter for the night,’ replied the alguazil. 
‘ Be quick with the former, some straw and blankets 
will serve us for beds. While, hark you, do you send 
some one to show the way to the stables, that our 
beasts may be looked after ; they require food as much 
as we do.’ 

‘All shall be done you request, Sefiores; in the 
mean time, follow me,’ said Jose ; and what was my 
dismay to see him lead the way to the large empty 
room I have spoken of, close to which the Indian was 
concealed! I dared not interfere, lest I might excite 
their suspicions ; so I thought it best to let Jose follow 
his own course. Having dragged in a table from one 
of the other rooms, he placed a lighted candle on it, 
and then hurried off to call up some of the other ser- 
vants to help him, leaving me alone with the officers. 
I was afraid of speaking to them, lest they should ask 
me questions ; so I made signs that the servant would 
quickly return with what they required. I dared not 
even look towards the door of the secret passage, to 
which every instant I expected to see some of them go 
for the purpose of examining it. However, somewhat 
to my relief, they seemed not to notice the door, but 
throwing themselves on the ground, stretched out their 
limbs to rest themselves, while their hound Demonio 
crouched down at their feet with his head between his 
fore-paws, ready to spring up in a moment. I saw by 
the glare of his half-closed eyes that he was all the 


16 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

time wide awake, and eager to spring upon any one who 
might molest him or his masters. 

My anxiety made me fancy that Jose was a long 
time absent, but he had really been away only a few 
minutes, when he returned with another servant, bring- 
ing a supply of bread and meat, and wine. Some 
chairs were carried into the room ; and the officers 
being joined by their companions, they^ attacked the 
viands with a good will. Had Jose been in the secret, 
he might have betrayed it, but his perfectly collected 
manner gave no cause for suspicion. 

‘You do not chance to have seen or heard anything 
of an Indian, an atrocious villain who has escaped from 
justice, and is supposed to have taken the path by this 
up the mountains?’ asked one of the officers. 

0 how my heart did beat as I heard this! Jose 
assured them with an air of perfect disembarrassment 
that he knew nothing of any Indian fugitive. His 
answers seemed to satisfy them. He next brought in 
some bundles of straw and blankets to serve as bedding. 

‘There, Senores, I hope that you will make your- 
selves at home, and sleep soundly after your supper,’ 
he observed, as he deposited them in different parts of 
the room. 

‘No fear of it, friend; we will not forget your 
hospitality,’ said the chief alguazil, as he helped him- 
self to a large tumbler of wine. 

1 was glad to see them apparently so well satisfied ; 
but at the same time I thought I detected a sinister 
expression in the eye of the speaker, with which I was 
not altogether satisfied. The hound Demonio, too, 
gave me some uneasiness ; for though he came back to 
catch the pieces of meat thrown to him by the officers, 


UNWELCOME VISIT^ORS. 


17 


he employed himself meanwhile in snuffing round the 
rooni in a very suspicious manner. Jose stood quietly 
by to attend to their wants. 

‘Can I do anything more for you, Seilores?* he 
asked. 

‘Another flask of this wine will not be objectionable, 
and a bundle of cigars would be welcome,’ answered 
the chief alguazil, laughing at the thought of the com- 
fortable quarters into which he had fallen, and deter- 
mined to make the most of them. 

‘ Certainly, Senores ; I am sure my master would 
not object to afford all you require,’ said J ose, going 
out to fetch what was asked for. 

While he was absent, what was my horror to see 
the dog, who had now finished his meal, begin to snuff 
vehemently under the door of the secret passage, and 
then to work away with his paws, as if to try and open 
it! I turned pale with alarm, for I knew that all must 
be discovered ; but still I thought it best to take no 
notice of the circumstance. 

‘ What does the dog want there ? ’ said one of the 
men. 

‘ Kats are there, I suppose,’ remarked another, whose 
wits the wine had somewhat dulled. 

‘ Demonio has a strange fancy for rats,’ said a third. 

‘ Rats or not, I should like to have a look behind 
the door,’ observed the chief alguazil, as the dog’s ex- 
citement increased. 

I said nothing, and the officers seemed to fancy that 
I could not understand Spanish, so they did not trouble 
me with questions. Just then Jose returned. 

‘What is inside that door?’ asked the chief alguazil 
abruptly. 

B 


13 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF, 


‘ Nothing that I know of but an empty cupboard,* 
he answered quietly. ‘ The room is little used, so that 
I never saw it opened.’ 

‘ Bring the key, and let us see,’ said the alguazil. 

‘ I have not the key ; and if there is one, my master 
must have it, and I cannot disturb him for such a 
fancy,’ replied J ose. ‘ The dog smells a rat ; there 
are many in the house, and he will soon be quiet.’ 

But the dog would not be quiet, neither was the 
alguazil satisfied; and at last Jose was obliged to say 
that he would go and ask my father for the key. I 
followed him out of the room. 

‘ Jose, I will go to my father and get the key, while 
you stay with the strangers,’ I said to him. ‘ Give 
them plenty of wine, and amuse them as long as you 
can.’ 

I hurried to my father’s room to consult what was 
to be done ; though I intended not to mention that the 
key had been asked for till he had come into the pas- 
sage, as of course my mother would be very much 
alarmed at hearing of it.’ 

I had got him out into the passage, and was men- 
tioning the unwelcome arrival of the Spaniards in as 
calm a tone as I could command, when it struck me 
that I might prevent his being implicated in the secre- 
tion of the fugitive if I took the whole blame upon 
myself. I at last told him of the suspicions the be- 
haviour of the horrid dog had aroused in the minds of 
the officers ; and entreated him, by every argument I 
could think of, to let me manage the affair as best I 
could. 

‘ They can scarcely inflict any severe punishment on 
me,’ I observed, ‘while they might drag you off to 


UNWELCOME VISITORS. 


19 


prison, and leave my mother and brother and sisters 
without a protector.’ 

‘ I must take the consequences of what I have done,’ 
he returned. ‘ At the same time I do not repent having 
endeavoured to save the poor fellow. The act was 
right, and that must be my consolation.’ 

But I was not so easily to be turned aside from my 
purpose ; and at last he consented to let me take the 
key, and to use it if driven so to do, while he remained 
in his room. I returned, as may be supposed, in no 
great hurry to the hall ; and as I got close to it I 
heard, amid the loud talking of the Spaniards and Jose, 
who was doing his best to amuse them, the scratching 
and snarling of the savage brute at the door. 

‘ My master is incapable of breaking the laws ; that 
1 can assure your Excellencies,’ I heard Jose say. ‘If 
the man you seek is inside there, he did not put him in, 
you may depend on it. If you find anything, it will 
be a rat or a little mouse, perhaps, for which all this 
fuss is to be made.’ 

‘What you say may be true, friend; but if the key 
is not brought we must break open the door,’ observed 
one of the Spaniards. ‘ The dog is not a pure blood- 
hound ; but he has enough of the race in him to know 
the difference between an Indian and a rat.’ 

At last I thought it better to go in with the key. 
When I reached the door of the passage, the brute 
snarled at me savagely, . and I fully believe would have 
sprung upon me and torn me limb from limb, had not 
his masters called him off. I trembled so with agita- 
tion that I could scarcely apply the key to the keyhole. 
Luckily the light did not fall on me, or it would have 
been perceiveL 


20 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ Come, young Senor, be quick about it ; somebody 
is in there — of that I can be sworn,’ exclaimed the 
alguazil. 

‘ There, take the key yourself, and try and open it,’ 
I answered, hoping that as he did so the Indian would 
rush out and make his escape, though his chance was a 
forlorn one. The officer took the key ; some of his men 
approached with lights, while others held their swords 
and pistols ready for use. Jose looked very much 
astonished, though in no way alarmed at the proceed- 
ings ; but I knew too well what was about to be re- 
vealed. The door flew open, and the men and their 
hateful dog rushed in. The fate of the poor Indian 
was sealed, I thought. I followed, expecting to see 
them tearing him to pieces. What, then, was my 
astonishment and satisfaction to find not a trace of 
him remaining ! The bedding, and even the dishes in 
which his food had been carried to him, were nowhere 
to be seen. 

‘There, I told you so,’ exclaimed Jose triumphantly, 
‘ there were nothing but rats.’ 

But the dog was not so easily satisfied ; and to my 
horror he rushed down the narrow flight of steps lead- 
ing to the secret outlet. The door at the bottom I 
knew was locked, and I too justly feared that the 
Indian would be found there. The officers hesitated 
about descending ; for as only one could go at a time, 
they saw that a determined man might kill them in 
detail, if so inclined ; so they sent their inferiors for- 
ward to make the experiment. I stood by, waiting 
the result with increased anxiety ; for I felt that if the 
Indian should kill some of the officers, the difficulties 
of our position would be still more increased. The 


UNWELCOME VISITORS. 


21 


dog led the way, and I hoped would be the only 
victim; the others followed very reluctantly. Some 
time passed ; but still there was no sign of their having 
discovered the fugitive. 

‘ Have you found the rat?’ shouted Jose, laughingly, 
from above. 

‘Bring the key of the other door,* thundered the 
alguazil in return from below. I had got it, but I did 
not say so. 

‘Of what door do you speak?’ asked Jose, in real 
ignorance of the fact that there was a door. I was 
anxious to gain all the time possible, believing that the 
Indian must have made his escape through the passage; 
so I let them talk on till the alguazil peremptorily 
ordered me to open the door, threatening me with all 
sorts of pains and penalties if I refused to obey. 

‘ I have heard that there is a long passage leading 
no one knows where,’ exclaimed Jose; ‘so, Seiiores, if 
you are going to explore it, you had better take some 
torches, or you may chance lose your way.’ 

‘ Bring them here instantly,’ shouted the alguazil. 

‘ If you are wise men you will amuse yourselves with 
the wine flasks while I go to prepare them,’ said Jose. 
The advice was too agreeable to be neglected, and I was 
very glad to see the men return and again seat them- 
selves at the table. While they were drinking and Jose 
was absent, the dog however continued running up and 
down the steps, and smelling in every direction. 

The officers seemed to enjoy their wine so much that 
I was in hopes that theii* suspicions were lulled, and at 
all events I rejoiced that the Indian would have more 
time afforded him for making his escape. Jose at last 
returned with the torches, which were composed of 


22 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


twisted straw dipped in pitch; and the chief officer 
descending with less caution than before, led the way, 
the rest following. At the bottom of the steps was a 
tolerably broad space, which enabled me to pass the 
men so as to reach the door, where the hound, snarling 
at me as I approached, stood ready to rush through at 
his prey as I supposed. How the Indian could have 
escaped, still, however, remained a mystery to me. After 
several attempts I succeeded in turning the rusty lock, 
and a dark passage cut through the solid rock opened 
before us. The wet dropped from the roof as we pro- 
ceeded, and, combined with the noxious exhalations 
which proceeded from the farther end, almost extin- 
guished the torches. 

‘ It is folly in me accompanying these men,’ I thought 
to myself ; and just then a recess appearing in the rock, 
I stepped into it and let the rest pass me. Jose was 
the last ; I touched him as he reached me, and whispered 
to him to return. 

He either did not hear me, or wished to watch the 
proceedings of the alguazil and his subordinates. As 
I had no torch, I groped my way with no little difficulty 
to the foot of the stairs, thinking Jose was following 
me. To my horror, just as I was about to ascend, I 
heard the low-muttered growl of the savage hound, 
and the next instant I found my leg seized in his jaws. 

‘Help, Jos^, help!’ I cried out, but not loud, lest the 
officers should hear me ; ‘ the brute will kill me else.’ 

But Jose was not, as I supposed, at hand. I felt 
the dog moving his jaws higher up my leg, as if he evi- 
dently was about to pull me to the ground, while the 
pain he inflicted almost paralysed me. I certainly was 
no coward, but I shrieked in my agony. In another 


tJNWELCOlVIE VISITORS. 


23 


moment he would have mastered me, when, by the faint 
light which came through the door of the room above, 
[ saw a dark figure spring down the steps. The dog 
let go his hold of me to fly at the new-comer, but was 
met by the point of a sharp dagger, which pierced his 
breast, and uttering a low yell of pain and rage, the 
brute fell dead at my feet. The Indian — for my pre- 
server was the fugitive — without speaking, assisted me 
in dragging the dog out of sight under the steps, and 
then whispering, ‘ Say not a word about the dog, he 
will not be discovered,^ again sprung up the steps. 

I followed him, fearing that the men in tie room 
above would discover him. I caught sight o ' him as 
he ascended to the roof of the alcove, by me ms of a 
single rope which hung to the ground. In the roof 
was a trap-door, through which he disappeared, and 
closed it silently after him, having first drawn up the 
rope. Again going below, I met Jos^ and told him 
that the dog was dead, charging him to ask no ques- 
tions, and to say nothing about it. 

I was much afraid lest the men should discover the 
dog ; for the fact of his remaining near the stairs might 
make them suspect that the Indian was concealed near 
at hand. My trousers were fortunately only a little 
tom, though, as the brute’s teeth had met in the calf 
of my leg, I felt a considerable amount of pain ; but 
I did my best to conceal it, lest the men should accuse 
me of killing the dog. I might with truth have replied 
that I had not killed him, but they would then have 
asked who did, to which question I could not have 
replied. As the life of a fellow-being was at stake, I 
felt the importance of being very circumspect in every- 
thing I dii 


24 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


When we returned to the room, the two men who 
had been left there inquired what had become of their 
comrades. 

‘ Hunting rats or spirits, for they will find nothing 
else down there I am sure,’ answered Jose, uncon- 
cernedly. ‘They will be back soon, I warrant, after 
their fool’s chase, begging your pardon, Senores.’ 

His words were verified more speedily than he ex- 
pected, for at that moment cries and shouts were heard, 
and the officers came tumbling up the steps as fast as 
their legs could carry them, with their hair almost 
standing on end, and their eye-balls starting from their 
heads. One had lost his cap, another his sword, and 
all their torches; they were also wet and dirty from 
scraping against the sides of the cavern. They de- 
clared that they had been set upon by a whole legion 
of demons, who had blown out their torches and 
attacked them with teeth and claws, so that they were 
glad to escape with their lives. 

‘ For the love of heaven shut the door, or they will 
be up here after us !’ shouted the last of the men, as he 
rushed into the room. 

I, as may be supposed, hurried down with joyful 
alacrity to obey the order, and coming back without 
encountering any of the demons, closed the upper door 
after me. 

‘ I said you were going on a fool’s errand,’ said Jose ; 
‘ your pardon for the remark, Sefiores. But let me fill 
up your glasses, the wine will soon make you forget 
your mishaps.’ The men were easily induced to apply 
the proposed remedy. 

‘ But what has become of the dog ? ’ asked the chief. 

‘ Carried off by the demons,’ observed Jose. 


UNWELCOME VISITORS. 


25 


‘ Let him go,’ growled one who was the most bruised 
and dirty. ‘ He led us into the scrape, and deserves his 
fate ; if it had not been for him, we should not have 
known of that horrid vault.’ 

The chief, notwithstanding these remarks, ordered 
his men to go and look for the dog ; but as he showed 
no readiness to set the example, none of the others 
would obey him, declaring that they would rather be 
shot at once than venture again among such horrors. 
I felt very much relieved at the turn events had taken. 
The Indian had escaped, the means of the bloodhound’s 
death was not suspected, and the officers would pro- 
bably at early dawn continue their search after the 
fugitive. 

‘ Ask them if they wish to return to the vault ; for if 
not, I will take the keys up to my father,’ I whispered 
to Josd 

‘ No, no,’ answered the men. ‘ We have had enough 
of the vault, and demons, and monsters, and spirits it 
contains. Tell your master all we want is plenty of 
this good wine to keep them away.’ 

Telling Jose to give them as much as they requhed 
and to keep a careful watch over them, I hurried back 
to my father to inform him that the danger was over. 

‘ I never fear the consequence of having performed 
a good action, my boy,’ he replied ; ‘ yet we should be 
grateful to Providence for having preserved us from 
much suffering, both of mind and body. The poor 
Indian is for the present safe. I can guess the way he 
escaped; but we will talk on the matter more to- 
morrow. Now, David, go to your room and rest, for 
you look pale and fatigued.’ 

I did not tell my father that the dog had bit me, 


2G MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

though I should have been wiser had I done so, as 
he would have had proper remedies applied, had the 
wounds required them. Jos^ however, soon after 
came into my room and fomented my leg with a mix- 
ture which he said was very efficacious in preventing 
inflammation from the bite of an animal. It at all 
events relieved me from the pain I was sufifering ; and 
when Jose left me to keep watch with the other ser- 
vants on the officers, I threw myself on my bed in the 
hopes of obtaining some sleep. Whenever I dropped 
off, my mind recurred to the unfortunate descendant of 
the Incas, and the scenes I had just witnessed; and 
every instant I was jumping up, fancying I heard the 
shout of the officers as they discovered his place of 
concealment. 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 27 


' CHAPTER III. 

A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH, 

I AWOKE to perfect consciousness (for I could scarcely 
be said to have been asleep all night) just as the first 
faint streaks of dawn were appearing in the sky ; and 
hearing the voices of men, and the stamping of horses 
in the court-yard, I looked out of the window to learn 
what was occurring. At first my mind misgave me 
that the alguazil and his myrmidons had by some means 
seized the Indian ; but as I scrutinized the dark forms 
which appeared in the cold grey light of the morning, 
I could not distinguish his among them. 

The men mounted one after the other apparently in 
good humour, for Jose was there among the other ser- 
vants with a huge flagon of wine to serve out to them 
the stirrup-cup at parting, a custom observed in most 
countries. It was a great relief to my mind when the 
gates were opened and I saw them fairly outside the 
walls. As the light increased, I watched them slowly 
winding along the steep path which led up the moun- 
tain, till they disappeared in a dark gorge which opened 
before them. 

‘ You will have a long ride if you do not intend to 
halt till you have caught the fugitive in that direction,* 
said I to myself, just as Jose entered. 

‘ I have sent the rogues off in good humour,* he ob 
served. ‘ Wine is a fine thing to raise the spirits, though 


28 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


to my mind last night they took enough to raise more 
than they expected — ha, ha, ha! They thought they 
were attacked by ghosts and goblins, when in reality 
only a number of bats flew out against them after the 
foul air had already damped their ardour. The place 
swarms with the vermin. By the by, if the Senor, my 
master, will give me the key of the vault, I will get up 
that beast of a dog, and bury him or hang him up to 
feed the condors.’ 

I thought Jose suspected something, and said this to 
learn the truth. I was inclined to confide the secret to 
him, but I felt that I ought not to do so without my 
father’s permission; so I answered that my father would 
give him the keys when he required them. When 1 
met my father, he told me that I was right in not tell- 
ing Jos^ both for our sake as well as his own, though 
he was doubtless trustworthy. 

I then asked him what had become of the Indian. 

‘He is safe on the roof,’ he replied. ‘I have just 
seen him ; he tells me that he heard the alguazils arrive, 
and that at first he thought he was betrayed, especially 
when the dog began to snuff under the door. He soon, 
however, learned from their conversation that his pre- 
sence was not suspected ; but still, to make sure, he de- 
scended the stairs in the hopes of discovering a means 
of escape; finding none, he ascended the ladder, and 
forcing open the trap -door, he got through to the roof. 
He then returned, when hearing the key asked for, he 
knew that his bedding would betray his having been 
there, so he carried everything up to the roof, lifting 
the ladder up after him. His doing so puzzled the dog, 
and saved him his life probably, and us from very con- 
siderable annoyance.’ 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 29 

We afterwards met at breakfast, when Jose gave my 
father and mother a full account of all that occurred. 
My father having given the Indian notice to retire to 
the roof, the body of the hound was removed and 
buried, and the family resumed their usual routine of 
life. Either I or Lilly twice a day, when no one was 
observing us, carried food to the Indian. Upwards of 
a week had passed since his arrival, when he expressed 
a strong desire to resume his journey, saying that he 
thought by this time the search for him must be over. 
My father was very unwilling to let him go ; but he 
assured us, that now his health and strength were 
completely restored, he had not the slightest fear of 
again falling into the hands of the Spaniards. All 
the provision he would accept was a little maize, and 
sufficient cacao to replenish his pouch. The cacao has 
been in use among the Peruvians from the earliest 
times. Its peculiar qualities enable those who take it 
to undergo great and continuous exertion, without any 
other food. It is a plant somewhat Hke the vine, and 
grows to about seven or eight feet in height. The 
leaves have a bitter flavour, and are aromatic. Among 
other qualities, they act as a sudorific, preserve the 
teeth, and prevent sleep. On first awaking in the 
morning, an Indian will put a quid of his favourite 
leaf into his mouth, and he performs the same opera- 
tion three or four times in the day. To give it a relish 
he mixes a little pulverized unslacked lime, which he 
carries in a gourd for that purpose. He takes the 
lime out the gourd with a thin slip of damped wood, 
and conveys what adheres to it to his mouth. The 
operation of chewing is called cliakchar. Many even 
of the whites indulge in it in secret, though it would 


30 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


be considered derogatory to chew in public, because 
the despised Indian does so. 

The Peruvians, in their love and admiration for this 
plant, used to pay it a religious respect, and considered 
it the most grateful offering to the spirits they might 
wish to propitiate. It has certainly a most wonderlul 
effect in sustaining nature ; and I have known people 
undergoing great fatigue, exist four or five days, without 
tasting any other food, or suffering the slightest incon- 
venience. The ignorant conquerors, from observing the 
reverence paid by the Indians to cacao, fancied that it 
must possess some demoniacal properties, and not only 
refused to use it themselves, but endeavoured to pre 
vent it being used by the natives ; and a royal decree 
was actually issued, declaring that the idea entertained 
by the Indians that cacao gave them strength, is an 
‘ illusion of the devil.' The mine-owners, however, per- 
ceived its importance in enabling the slaves to undergo 
fatigue; and its use, therefore, rathei increased than 
diminished. It, however, excites the brain, somewhat 
as does opium, and thus its intemperate use for any 
length of time would probably wear out mental vigour 
and activity. Having procured a supply of this valuable 
leaf for the Indian, he filled his pouch with it, while the 
maize he fastened up in a corner of his poncho. 

‘ I am ready to depart,’ he said, ‘ though my heart 
yet lingers with you; and believe, O children of a 
Northern land, that, though fallen and despised his 
race, Manco Tupac Amaru is truly grateful for your 
generous hospitality, and more for preserving his fife. 
The time may come, and shortly too, when he may 
have the opportunity of proving his gratitude — till then, 
farewell,’ 


A JOUKNET AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 31 

Taking my father’s hand and mine, he pressed his 
lips to them, and burst into tears. His words made 
an impression on me, though at the time I did not 
comprehend their meaning. I afterwards had good 
reason to do so. It was again evening, the hour at 
which he had arrived ; and when it was perfectly dark, 
I went out to see that none of the servants were near. 
He then let himself drop from the window, and cross- 
ing the court-yard, scaled the wall, and took his way 
up the mountain. I had reason to believe that none 
of the servants suspected that he had been with us. 
This was the first of the many adventures in which, at 
that period of my life, I was engaged. We often 
talked of the Indian Manco, and were anxious to know 
his fate ; but for long heard no more of him. 

Some time after this, my father invited me to attend 
him on a journey, which business required him to per- 
form, to Cuzco, Lima, and other parts of the country ; 
and, as may be supposed, with no little alacrity I set 
to work to make the necessary preparations. We are 
fond of boasting of the civilisation of Europeans of the 
present day ; but, however humiliating to our pride, it 
must be owned that in many important respects Peru 
has retrograded since the time that the Christian 
Spaniard took possession of the country, and super- 
seded the mild though despotic sway of the glorious 
Incas. Under her ancient sovereigns, magnificent roads 
traversed the kingdom from north to south, and from 
the sea-coast into the distant interior, across the mighty 
Andes. Inns for the accommodation of travellers were 
built at convenient distances on the roads, and stored 
abundantly with provisions, while at each relays of 
couriers were stationed, who with wonderful celerity 


32 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

could carry messages or small parcels through the 
country. It is said that the tables of the Incas, 
when at Cuzco, or still farther in the interior, were 
supplied regularly with fish fresh caught from the 
sea, and other quickly perishable luxuries, in a mode 
which has only been accomplished in England since 
the introduction of railroads, or perhaps in the latter 
days of quick coach travelling. I mention this to 
show the contrast to the means we possessed for per- 
forming our journey. 

At last the day arrived for our departure. My 
father rode a steady mule, but I preferred a horse, 
though not so safe an animal for the narrow tracks, 
up and down steep mountains, on the summit of terrific 
precipices, and across rickety bridges which we were 
about to traverse. 

They were caparisoned much in the same way. Our 
saddles were huge and deep, covered with red woolly 
rugs; our stirrups were of Moorish shape, large wooden 
boxes strapped with iron ; the girths were broad ; and 
belts fastened to the saddle, passed round the breast 
and haunches of the animals, prevented it from slipping 
off when going up or down the almost precipitous de- 
clivities in our way. Our luggage was carried in huge 
trunks, made of untanned bullocks’ hides, fastened with 
thongs of the same material, each mule carrying two 
slung on either side of his back. In some our clothes 
were packed, in others our mattresses and bedding, 
and in others our mess utensils and provisions; for 
as there were no inns, it was necessary to take every- 
thing which would be required. We rode ahead, our 
peons or muleteers following the beasts of burden. 
Before the introduction of horses and mules, the Indians 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTtJRES WE MET WITH. 33 

employed the delicate llama to carry goods through the 
country. We had heavy spurs, and sharp bits to our 
bridles, and wore broad-brimmed hats and ponchos. 
The last named garment may be described as a large 
piece of cloth of wool or cotton, of a round form, with 
a hole in the centre. Through this hole th e head is 
put, while the cloth falls over the shoulders, and forms 
a very effectual protection from the weather. It was 
used by the Indians before the conquest. 

My mother and Lilly assisted in preparing and pack- 
ing our provisions and clothes ; and with prayers for 
our safety, at an early hour one morning they saw us 
mount and commence our journey. ‘ Good-bye, mother; 
good-bye, Lilly,’ I exclaimed,: as I seated myself in my 
saddle. ‘ I will bring you back, like the princes in the 
Arabian Nights, all the most wonderful things I can 
collect.’ Their hearts were: too full to answer, and 
their eyes were moist with tears; for they could not 
conceal from themselves that there were many very 
considerable dangers which we must encounter on the 
road. They stood watching us while we wound our 
way down the steep path, and crossed the bridge which 
spanned the river at the bottom of the ravine. I pro- 
pose giving a very brief sketch of our journey, and 
shall dwell only on the more interesting incidents ; or I 
might otherwise fill my book with an account of what 
we saw in the course of a few weeks. 

We arrived one evening at a tamlo^ or post-house, 
which, from its appearance and position on a portion 
of the great high road of the Incas, we judged had 
been erected before the conquest. The walls were very 
thick, and composed of large blocks of stone. It was 
divided into two compartments ; one had formerly been 
c 


34 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

the storehouse and granary, the other the common 
hall and kitchen. The roof was thatched, as it had 
been originally. 

At a little distance off was a village of Indian huts, 
mostly small; but some were of larger size, in- which 
the cacique and some of the chief men resided. The 
tamho stood in a beautiful valley, through which ran 
a clear and rapid stream among meadows of ever ver- 
dant tints. The mountains which rose on either side 
were to their very summit cut into terraces. These 
terraces, or hanging gardens, as they are sometimes 
called, were of no great width, but the walls which 
faced them were built of large blocks of stone; and 
though in some places they were crumbling into decay, 
in general they were in a perfect state, bearing witness 
to the industry and intelligence of the ancient inhabit- 
ants of the soil. These terraces are called Andenes^ 
and from thence the conquerors derived the name 
Andes, which they bestowed on the whole vast range 
of mountains. 

Our peons having taken charge of our mules and 
horses, and led them to a shed adjoining the grey 
and moss-grown tamho^ we entered the building. The 
interior was sombre in the extreme ; everybody and 
everything wore a subdued look; and even the dogs 
slunk about as if their spu-its were depressed. The 
smoke of ages was on the walls and roof, and the tables 
and benches at one side had a sadly dilapidated ap- 
pearance. The master was an Indian of lightish hue, 
his long, lank hair already turning grey with age, and 
perhaps with care. Several Indian women were mov- 
ing about round a fire at the farther end of the room, 
preparing a meal for a somewhat numerous company 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 35 

assembled there. The women about the house were all 
dressed in loose garments of dark coarse woollen cloth, 
which extended from the neck to the ankles, and were 
secured round the waist by a broad belt of some gay 
colour. They wore, folded up on the crown of the 
head, a small cloth mantle, a part of which drooped 
down to the shoulders behind. Each woman wore 
over her right shoulder a black scarf, which I under- 
stood was a sign of mourning, not for any relation 
lately dead, but for their Inca, long ago murdered by 
their conquerors. The dress of most of the men was a 
dark woollen jacket, with breeches open at the knees, 
a gaily embroidered woollen cap, a broad cotton belt, 
woollen stockings without feet, and sandals of goat- 
skin. A broad-brimmed hat, and a small poncho 
thrown over the shoulders, completed their attire. Our 
host soon placed before us a large deep silver dish, 
containing some dehcious mountain mutton, and a fat 
fowl, cooked in the ashes, and garnished with small 
but very good potatoes. There were neither knives 
nor forks in the dish, but one large wooden spoon, 
with which it was intended all guests should help them- 
selves. We had chicha, the beverage of the country, 
offered us in silver goblets; but for a good reason 
neither my father nor I felt inclined to partake of it, 
though our servants did most willingly. To the taste 
of Englishmen nothing can be more disagreeable than 
the mode in which dacha is prepared. A quantity of 
Indian corn is pounded into a fine powder, round which 
a number of old men and women sit and masticate it 
into a paste. They then roll it into balls, which are 
dried; and afterwards water being thrown on them, 
they are allowed to ferment. 


86 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


A number of Indians were sitting apart in a comer 
of the room. One of them was a tall, thin, emaciated 
man, of a yellowish copper hue. His only garment was 
a pair of dark trousers ; and his long, lank, black hair 
hung down over his bare shoulders, giving him a very 
wild and haggard appearance. I saw him swallow a 
large cupful of a mixture which I thought was cliicha ; 
but soon afterwards he seemed to fall into a deep 
stupor, and I fancied he was going into a fit. His 
eyes were fixed on the ground, his mouth closed con- 
vulsively, and his nostrils dilated. As I watched him, 
his eyes began to roll most horribly, foam issued from 
his half-opened lips, and every limb and his whole body 
became distorted in the most frightful manner. 

‘The man will die!’ I exclaimed, springing forward 
to assist him, and disgusted with the apathy of his 
companions. 

‘Ko fear, my son,’ answered an old Indian, making 
a sign which checked me ; ‘ our brother has but drunk 
the tonga; his spirit has departed for a season to 
hold communication with the spirits of our ancestors, 
and when it returns he will be able to tell us things of 
wonder, and perchance they may show him the trea- 
sures which lie hid in their huacas — ^their graves.’ 

I afterwards found that the Indian had been drink- 
ing a powerful narcotic, prepared from the thorn-apple, 
and which is called huacacachu^ or grave-plant, from 
the power it is supposed to possess of enabling those 
who drink it to see the inhabitants of the graves. 
After the Indian had been some time convulsed he fell 
into a profound slumber, when his friends covered him 
up carefully with their mantles and left him. 

Our meal was scarcely over when the clattering of 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 37 

horses’ feet was heard on the road, and by the sound 
I judged that a band of horsemen had ridden up to 
the tamho. Our Indian host rushed out with dismay on 
his countenance. I followed him to learn what was the 
matter; and by the light of the moon, just then risen 
over the mountains, I saw about as ugly a set of 
fellows as I ever encountered. Their countenances 
were of every hue — black, yellow, and olive, disfigured 
by scars and savage passions. Their garments, I can- 
not call them uniforms, of many a shape and colour, 
were in rags and tatters. The horses were weary, ill- 
conditioned and ill-groomed, and as miserably accoutred 
as their riders, with a look in the eye full of vicious 
meaning. They were armed with short carbines and 
long swords, and some had pistols and daggers in their 
belts. 

‘ Los Montoneros, los Montoneros!’ exclaimed several 
of the people behind me, and rushed back into the 
tambo^ the women trying to hide themselves from the 
new-comers. 

The horsemen threw themselves from their jaded 
hacks, and calling to the Indians to take charge of 
them, with scant ceremony entered the building. They 
regarded, as they did so, my father and me, and our 
servants, with no favourable eye ; but after a moment’s 
hesitation, they threw themselves on the benches before 
the table at which we were seated, crying loudly for 
food and liquor. It was speedily placed before them 
by the trembling hands of the host ; and in silence they 
addressed themselves to the tearing the meat with their 
fingers, as if they had not eaten anything for a week. 
After imbibing quantities of chicha^ they lighted their 
cigars ; and then their tongues broke loose in a style 


33 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

which made us anxious to escape their neighbourhood. 
Some were Spaniards, or Spanish creoles, and others 
were negroes ; but most of them were of a variety of 
mixed races. The Montoneros are notoriously robbers 
in time of peace, and soldiers in war ; but from the 
expressions they let fall, we judged that these fellows 
were employed exclusively in plundering all they met 
not likely to offer resistance. My father told the 
servant to keep a sharp lookout on our horses and 
mules, which the gentlemen would with little ceremony 
have appropriated. 

To avoid them we walked over to where the group 
of Indians were collected round the tonga-drinker, 
who was now awaking from his sleep, and sitting up, 
though apparently very much exhausted. His com- 
panions were listening attentively to the mysterious 
revelations which fell from his mouth, the result of his 
spiritual communications with his ancestors. He spoke 
of a day of regeneration for the Indians; of liberty 
and happiness not far distant, when the yoke of the 
Spaniard would be thrown off their necks, and the race 
of their Inca should again wear the crimson horla of 
their monarchy. There was an air of earnestness and 
sincerity in his manner which convinced me that he at 
all events was deceiving himself as well as his hearers. 
In his dreams he had truly seen what he hoped would 
come to pass. I afterwards had good reason to know 
that he had strong foundation for his prophecies. He 
was still uttering his awful communications to his 
wondering and credulous hearers ; the Montoneros 
were still drinking, smoking, and beasting ; and some 
other travellers (Spanish, negro, and native, among 
whom was a Spanish priest, a landowner near Cuzco, 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 39 

and a shopkeeper) were either taking their suppers 
or seeking repose, when we retired to the deserted 
granary. 

We were actually provided with bedsteads of a rude 
construction, on which we spread our bedding. The 
noise made by the Montoneros prevented me from 
sleeping for some time; till they themselves sought 
for rest, on and under the table and benches where 
they had been sitting. I was awakened in the middle 
of the night by a scratching and hissing and struggling 
noise under my bed, as if two animals were fighting. 
I sprung to my feet, and by the light of the full moon, 
which streamed in through a hole in the wall, I saw a 
large tabby cat engaged in a fierce combat with a 
glittering snake. At first I thought it would prove 
a hopeless one for poor pussy ; but I soon saw by her 
manoeuvres, that she had at all events an equal chance 
of victory. Now the venomous monster would dart 
out its forked tongue and try to spring at her ; when 
she, with equal agility, would leap aside and would sit 
watching her antagonist with careful eye, endeavour- 
ing to find an opportunity of catching it by the neck, 
while she avoided its deadly fangs. The snake seemed 
aware of its danger, and was not the less cautious. 
Indeed puss had already given it an ugly bite on the 
neck, which had somewhat crippled its movements — 
probably catching it asleep. The snake kept turning 
round and round its baneful head, the cat always 
keeping beyond the distance she knew it could spring. 
At last she saw her opportunity, and rushing in upon 
it, she seized it by the neck, so that it could not bite 
her. The snake wriggled violently, but all in vain; 
after a few convulsive struggles even the tail ceased 


40 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

to move, and I left the cat crunching the bones of her 
defeated antagonist. 

I was glad to find that I had so good a guardian as 
puss had proved. I turned into bed again and went 
to sleep. In the morning I discovered that the snake 
was a very venomous adder, but that the cat was not 
a bit the worse for eating it. I afterwards learned 
that there are certain sorts of poison which may be 
swallowed without danger, yet if it should touch the 
slightest scratch or excoriation of the skin, would prove 
fatal. 

At daybreak the Montoneros were on foot ; and to 
the satisfaction of all the occupants of the tamho^ they 
took their departure up the valley. It was the direc- 
tion in which we were going, but we hoped not again 
to fall in with them. As we were mounting to proceed 
on our journey, the Indian soothsayer (for so I may call 
him) approached my father, and whispered earnestly in 
his ear for some minutes. My father looked surprised 
and somewhat anxious, and told him he thanked him 
for his advice. The Indian retired into the tamho ap- 
parently satisfied. We had begun to move on, when 
we were called back ; and, turning our heads, we saw 
the padre and the other Spaniards mounting their mules. 

‘ Stay, Seiiors, for the love of charity,’ cried the 
padre; ‘we are going your way, and if we go alone 
and meet with those villains, the Montoneros, we shall 
all be robbed and murdered to a certainty. Now you 
Englishmen are known to' fight bravely, so the rogues 
may not think it worth while to attack us.’ 

‘ We shall be happy to have your company, Senor 
Padre,’ said my father, smiling ; ‘ but I hope our valour 
may not be put to the proof.’ 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 41 

‘ I am sure I hope not either/ ejaculated the padre, 
crossing himself. ‘ May the holy saints protect us ; for 
those fellows care not for the anathemas of the church, 
the laws of the realm, or the bullets of the soldiers.’ 

The other Spaniards seemed to partake of the alarm 
of the padre ; and as we rode along, I saw them casting 
anxious glances around, as if they expected every mo- 
ment to see the robbers start out from behind the 
rocks which skirted the road. After we had proceeded 
some distance, my Jather called a halt, and summoning 
the guides, he inquired whether they were acquainted 
with a road to the right, which he described. They 
replied that they were, but that it was longer and more 
difficult. 

‘ Never mind,’ he replied ; ‘ it is the road I intend to 
pursue. I shall be glad of the company of those who 
wish to journey with me.’ 

Though he did not give his reasons, the Spaniards 
saw that he had good cause for his change of route, 
and agreed to accompany us. They probably, how- 
ever, attributed it to the Montoneros ; as I observed 
that the expression of apprehension on their counte- 
nances gradually wore off, and they no longer cast the 
same furtive glances at every bush and rock as before. 

We travelled along the valley for many miles, some- 
times passing over a high ridge, and then again descend- 
ing to follow up the course of some stream which had 
its birth among the snowy ranges above us. My father 
had formed the party into military order. Four armed 
men took the lead, then came the baggage mules, while 
the main body of those on horseback brought up the 
rear. 

For three or four days we travelled on, each night 


42 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

sleeping at one of the wretched tamhos kept by Indians, 
similar to that I have before described. Every day we 
mounted higher and higher, the scenery becoming more 
wild, barren, and desolate. We were now traversing 
that part of the Cordilleras called the Puna, a region 
of level heights, some fourteen thousand feet above the 
sea; nearly the only vegetation being a short, dark 
yellow grass, scarcely a tree or a shrub to be seen, 
except cacti, gentiana, and a few other flowering 
plants. There were animals, however, in abundance — 
vicunas, huanacus, stags, and rock rabbits ; while con- 
dors and other birds of prey hovered aloft, ready to 
pounce down on any carcase they might scent from 
afar. We next entered the region of the Sierra, the 
name given to the extensive valleys which either inter- 
sect the Puna, or lie between the Cordilleras and the 
Andes. These valleys are generally some thousand 
feet below the Puna, and the climate is very pure and 
healthy. The soil is also very fertile, so that they 
were in the days of the Incas, and still are, more 
densely inhabited by Indians than any other portion 
of Peru. These valleys contain many towns, villages, 
and hamlets ; but as they are surrounded on all sides 
by mountains, only to be crossed by dangerous and 
circuitous routes, their trade is but limited, and they 
are seldom visited by the inhabitants of other parts of 
Peru. Among them are a few white people, but a 
considerable number of mestizos live in the towns. 
There is very little money in circulation among them, 
and in some parts hens’ eggs are used instead of small 
coin, . about fifty being counted for a dollar. The 
Indians are the sole cultivators of the soil, which pro- 
duces wheat, maize, and barley in abundance, as well as 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 43 

potatoes and other tuberous plants, and most of the 
vegetables and fruits of Europe. 

It must be understood that many of the scenes I 
have to describe took place in this favoured region; 
while others, again, were among the mountains and 
valleys to the east of the vast range of the Andes. 
People when reading of mountains are so apt to pic- 
ture to themselves the molehills of Europe, which can 
mostly be crossed on foot in a day or so, that I must 
remind them that the Cordilleras and Andes which I 
am describing are an extensive region, the passage 
over which requires not only days, but in some places 
even weeks to accomplish. We had traversed several 
of these valleys, and were now about to cross over the 
highest ridge of the Andes. Having travelled so far 
without encountering the Montoneros, even the most 
timid of our party had lost all apprehension on that 
score. 

One afternoon we found ourselves ascending through 
a narrow and wild gorge in the mountains. For three 
hours we had been mounting higher and higher, till 
our beasts began to show great signs of weariness. 
At last we saw before us a huge rock which, project- 
ing from the side of the mountain, completely over- 
hui.g the road, and looked as if it would overwhelm 
all who attempted to pass under it ; while on the other 
side was a precipice three or four hundred feet in per- 
pendicular height, at the bottom of which appeared a 
dark chasm with a wild roaring torrent running through 
it. The road, if so the mountain track could be called, 
was barely wide enough to allow a loaded mule to pro- 
ceed along it ; and it was next to impossible for two 
animals to pass one another, or for a person to dis- 


44 IIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

mount without great risk of falling over the precipice. 
We had been scrambling up for a long way over places 
which it appeared scarcely possible even goats would 
surmount, when one of the baggage mules stopped short 
and refused to proceed. Several others followed his 
example, and the whole cavalcade in the rear was 
brought to a stand-still. Blows could not be adminis- 
tered, for the muleteers could not get up to the beasts ; 
and entreaties, coaxings, and persuasions were all in 
vain. I could not help laughing at the variety of ex- 
pressions the men made use of to induce the animals to 
move. First they addressed them by every endearing 
epithet they could think of, then they appealed to tlieir 
courage, their magnanimity, their perseverance — the 
deeds of their ancestors. 

‘Have not I always treated you well?’ exclaimed 
our muleteer Juan to his beast. ‘ Have not I always 
seen you housed and fed before I thought of caring 
for myself ? Have not I slept by your side and watched 
over you as a father his son ? Ungrateful as you are 
thus to behave at this pinch ! If we meet another 
party, we shall be all hurled headlong over the rocks, 
or we shall have to fight desperately and have to hurl 
them over, and all for your obstinacy, sons of donkeys 
that you are!’ — and he broke forth in a torrent of 
vituperation and abuse which it is not necessary for me 
here to repeat. 

^ If the Montoneros should meet us now, what will 
become of us ? ’ cried the padre. 

‘ It is the last place they would think, of attacking 
us in,’ observed my father. ‘Their object is to get 
possession of our purses and our beasts ; now if they 
attacked us here, the greater number of us would be 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 45 

tumbled over into the torrent below, so they would lose 
their booty.* 

‘That’s a satisfaction truly,* observed the padre; 
‘ but I wish the beasts would move.* 

The beasts, however, seemed not a bit inclined to 
stir, and we had no remedy for it but to wait patiently, 
or throw them and our luggage over the precipice. 
As I looked up and saw the huge boulders of rock 
which hung above our heads, appearing as if the touch 
of a vicuna’s hoof would send them rushing down to 
overwhelm us in their fall, I certainly did feel anxious 
to get out of their way. At last the leading mule, 
somewhat rested, began to move, the others followed 
him for a few minutes, and they all stopped again. 
The same process of entreating, coaxing, and abusing 
was gone over again ; when the refractory cavalcade 
moved on once more for a few paces, but only in like 
manner to try our patience and our nerves by stopping 
at a worse spot than before. After resting a few 
minutes, the leading mule, which kept the others back, 
appeared to gain strength, and his stoppages each 
time being of shorter duration, he at length began to 
climb up the steep ascent before him, the rest readily 
following. 

The cold, at this great height we had now attained, 
was excessive to our feelings, accustomed to the warmth 
of the lower country. Great, however, as was the 
elevation, the peaks which rose above us on every side 
appeared not to have lessened in the least in height. 
Snow of brilliant whiteness was around us, some of 
which in the more lofty spots had perhaps not melted 
since the days of the flood. Mists were floating about, 
and below our feet was collected a dense mass, which 


46 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

obscured the view beyond. A few flakes of snow began 
to fall, which every instant increased in number. 

‘ Forward, forward, Senores !’ shouted our chief peon, 
who acted as guide. ‘ If a Cordillera storm catches us 
before we get under shelter, the days of some of us may 
be numbered.* 

W e did not neglect the warning. The animals even 
seemed to perceive the necessity of pushing on; and 
away we all went, tumbling, sliding, and leaping over 
the rough track which led down the mountain. The 
snow increased in density, so that we could scarcely 
see the person immediately preceding us; and the 
chilling wind blew stronger and stronger from off the 
icy peaks above. Not a moment was to be lost — ^the 
guides shouted, ‘ On, on, on ! ’ and we whipped and 
spurred, and urged on our weary beasts by word and 
bridle. Still the ground was far too rough to enable 
us to get them into a trot, far less to gallop ; and 
besides, a tumble would in many places have proved 
fatal both to horse and rider. The descent was very 
rapid, for we were scarcely ever on a level. 

‘ 111 will it fare with any unfortunate fellow in the 
rear who falls,’ said my father. ‘ Kemain close to me, 
David; I am afraid of your horse stumbling.’ 

‘ No fear,’ I answered, ‘ I keep a tight rein on him, 
and he knows well that he must not be careless.’ 

There was little time to contemplate the scene as we 
rode along, but still I could not help being struck by 
the solemn stillness, and the wildness of the desolation 
around. The voices of the men, as they shouted out, 
appeared strange and unnatural from then* very dis- 
tinctness, as did the tramp of the animals ; while not 
another sound was heard from any direction. 


A JOURNEY AND THE ADVENTURES WE MET WITH. 47 

‘ On, on, Sen ores ! * were the only "words we could 
hear. The snow had ceased ; but dark clouds seemed 
gathering around us, when, without warning, a flash of 
forked hghtning darted across our path, ploughing up 
the ground before us, and followed by a peal of thunder 
which seemed to rend the mountain tops. Flash suc- 
ceeded flash in every direction, the very atmosphere 
quivering with the uninterrupted peals repeated a 
thousand-fold by the mountain echoes ; while cataracts 
of fire appeared to be rushing down the rocks on either 
side. Our trembling animals refused to move; the 
Spaniards crossed themselves, and shrieking, as they 
slid off the backs of the animals they rode, they called 
on their saints for protection. 

We dismounted and endeavoured to lead our horses 
under an overhanging rock. At last we succeeded in 
obtaining some shelter; and there we stood, every instant 
expecting to be struck by the electric fluid, which rushed 
zigzagging before us. Feelings such I had never be- 
fore experienced came over me. I was at the same 
time inspired rather with awe than with terror. It was 
as if the heavens were pouring out their full wrath on 
man — as if the foundations of the world were about to 
be uprooted, and the mighty mountains hurled over on 
the plains below. 

Rocks and earth came hurtling down from the lofty 
peaks above us ; crash succeeded crash, and flashes of 
the most intensely vivid lightning dashed before us with- 
out intermission, till the air itself seemed on fire, and 
the faculties of sight and hearing both failed from 
over-exhaustion of their energies. It appeared as if 
the dreadful strife of the elements would never end; 
but as we were despairing of reaching a resting-place 


48 


BIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


before night should set in, the thunder rolled away, 
the lightning ceased, and our party emerging from the 
caves and crevices where they had taken shelter, we 
found that providentially all had escaped injury. We 
mounted once more. As we proceeded, the rays of the 
setting sun came streaming along a beautiful valley 
which opened on our right. Descending rapidly, in 
little more than an hour we found ourselves before a 
tamho. It was wretched enough in appearance, and 
neither food nor beds did it afford. As, however, we 
had with us a supply of provisions, and our cloaks and 
saddle-cloths spread on the floor, with our saddles for 
pillows, served us for couches, we were not worse off 
than we frequently had been ; and I know that I slept 
soundly till morning. 


ATTACKED BY BOBBERS. 


id 


CHAPTER IT. 

ATTACKED BY ROBBERS ^A MERCIFUL DEED RETURNED 

WITH INTEREST. 

The scenery we passed the next day was very similar 
to what I have already described; but the valley, 
which, on being contrasted with the snowy region we 
had just left, appeared so attractive, was, I found, 
when seen by the morning h*ght, owing to its high 
elevation, a very barren and desolate place. 

We rode on for some hours through scenery such as 
I have before described, when in the afternoon, as we 
were beginning to fancy that we were near the ter- 
mination of our day’s journey, we entered a deep gorge, 
with the dark rocks towering up, wild and rugged, on 
either side of us. It was just such a place as one 
might have expected an ambush to have been placed 
in ; as a few resolute men might have held the road, 
aided by others sheltered by the rocks, against a whole 
army attempting to pass. An oppressive gloom in- 
vaded the spot, and the air seemed damp and heavy, 
as if the warming rays of the sun had never penetrated 
below the tops of the cliffs. 

I was riding on in advance of the main body, when, 
on reaching the spot where the gorge opened some- 
what, I saw at a considerable distance before me what 
I took to be a mark on the cliff in the shape of a horse 

D 


50 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

with a rider. As I advanced, however, I perceived 
that it was a lonely man on horseback. He was too 
far off, standing as he was in shade, for me to distin- 
guish his dress or appearance. He seemed to be sta- 
tionary, as if watching our approach. A sharp turn 
in the road shut out the view beyond him. Had I 
been an old soldier, I should have fallen back on my 
companions and reported what I had seen; but I fancied 
that the horseman was a traveller like ourselves, and 
so I continued to ride carelessly on. I was very nearly 
falling a victim to my neglect. I . had advanced some 
two hundred yards farther, when my friends reached 
the spot from which I had first caught sight of the 
horseman. He was still there, but no sooner did he 
see them than he wheeled round his horse and disap- 
peared behind the cliffs. This I thought suspicious. 
My fii'st impulse was to gallop on to overtake the 
man; but fortunately the chief guide had just then 
come up with me, and urged me not to go on. I 
therefore shouted out to my friends to let them know 
what I had seen, and reined in my steed till they came 
up. The information did not hasten^ the advance of 
any of the party ; indeed some of them were evidently 
anxious to cede the post of honour in the van to their 
friends. The cry of ‘ The Montoneros, the Montoneros !’ 
arose from every mouth. Some tumbled off their 
horses, as if to shelter themselves behind them from the 
expected volleys of the dreaded banditti; others sat 
still and began to count their beads; and not a few 
turned their horses’ heads preparatory to running 
away. I must do the padre the justice to say that 
he looked as bra\4e as any of them, except a few who 
advanced to the front. 


ATTACKED BY ROBBERS. 


51 


‘Where are the enemy, David?* asked my father, 
who led them on. 

‘ I only saw one man, whom our friends here have 
multiplied into a band of Montoneros,* I rephed. 

‘ Come on, my friends, then ! ’ exclaimed my father. 
‘ If the man my boy saw is a robber, he and his com- 
panions are more likely to run away than to attack us, 
if we show a bold front.’ 

His words and tone of confidence restored the fast 
evaporating courage of the party ; and having halted 
to get them into something like order, with the armed 
men in front and the baggage mules and their drivers 
in the rear, we again moved forward. We had not, 
however, advanced far, when the man I had before 
seen again appeared ; and directly afterwards a troop 
of horsemen wheeled round the sharp angle of the rock, 
and with loud cries galloped rapidly towards us. 

‘Steady, steady, for your lives!’ shouted my father, 
as he saw in many of our companions strong evidence 
of a disposition to turn round and fly. ‘ If we break 
our ranks, we are lost.’ 

That the horsemen now approaching were banditti, 
I had no doubt, from their varied and fantastic dresses, 
the different hues of their faces, and their wild appear- 
ance. We could not escape them, even had we been 
better mounted than they were, as the baggage mules 
in the rear would have prevented us. This they 
probably calculated on, or perhaps they would rather 
we had escaped and left them our baggage, which was 
what they most wanted, with the exception, perhaps, 
of our horses. They invariably appropriate the best 
horses they can find, as it is important for them to 
be well mounted. My father and I, two Spaniards, a 


52 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


mestizo, and our chief Indian guide, formed the first 
rank. When we saw the Montoneros, and could no 
longer doubt their intentions, we halted and presented 
our firearms. These were of various lengths and 
calibres, and some were better fitted to frighten an 
enemy than to do harm. When the Montoneros saw 
the determined front we presented, they checked their 
speed, but it was only for an instant. 

‘Do not fire until they get close to us,’ cried my 
father. 

On came the banditti, their horses’ hoofs clattering 
over the hard road, while uttering loud and discordant 
yells, they waved their swords above their heads. They 
made their intentions very manifest of cutting us to 
pieces if they could; so we felt perfectly justified in 
trying to knock them out of their saddles. 

Many of our party gave themselves up for lost ; and 
certainly the appearance of the banditti was enough to 
make a stout heart uncomfortable, to say the least of it. 
Their untrimmed moustaches and long hair escaping 
from under their broad-brimmed hats, their fierce coun- 
tenances and dark flashing eyes, the many hues of their 
skins, and their motley costume, gave them altogether 
a very savage look, which was increased by the fiery 
bloodshot eyes of their horses, whose shaggy manes 
and the fringe of them housing streamed in the wind, 
while their riders shook their weapons, and shrieked out 
threats of destruction on our heads. 

‘Steady, my men, and fire when I do,’ cried my 
father, levelling his rifle ; in which I, Jose, and the 
rest, followed his example. The Montoneros had got 
within a dozen paces of us, when we gave the word. 
We fired together, our friends behind handing us their 


ATTACKED BY ROBBERS. 


53 


still loaded weapons. Two of the robbers rolled in 
the dust, and the horse of a third was shot dead, and 
fell across the road, so as somewhat to impede the 
progress of those behind. On they came, howe7er, 
and were up to us as we fired our second round, and 
received a discharge of their carbines in return. Some 
of the shot took effect on our companions in the rear, 
who, instead of reloading the firearms, threw them 
down and endeavoured to escape. In an instant the 
banditti were upon us. My father’s horse was shot 
under him. I saw Jose knocked over ; and then I re- 
collect nothing that happened for some minutes, except 
a confusion of sounds, shouts, and shrieks and groans. 
When I returned to consciousness, my first thought 
was for my father. He was not near me, but I saw 
Jose at no great distance, leaning on his arm, as if 
unable to move, and looking along the road the way 
we had come. I turned my eyes in the same direction, 
towards which the tide of the fight had gone. A 
few of our companions were still contending against a 
greatly superior number of the banditti, most of whom, 
however, were engaged in a work more congenial to 
their taste, that of plundering our baggage. I could 
not doubt that my father was among the combatants ; 
for without his example I did not think the others 
would have fought, and I trembled for his fate. I 
tried to rise, to rush to his assistance, or to die with 
him ; but I found I was too weak to stand, much less 
to use a weapon. I gave up all for lost, for I per- 
ceived that the resistance of the gallant little band of 
my friends was every instant growing weaker; while 
the robbers were quitting their plunder to join their 
assailants. Meantime some of the baggage mules 


54 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF, 


were trotting off in the direction where Jose and I 
lay ; seeing which, some of the banditti came in pur- 
suit of them. On seeing that I was alive, a savage- 
looking fellow lifted his carbine, and was about to give 
me a quietus on my head with the butt of it, while 
another threatened to perform the same office for Jose, 
when a shout, different from any I had before heard, 
reached my ears. 

‘Los Indios, los Indios! — the Indians, the Indians!' 
cried the brigands ; ‘ fly, fly, or we are lost !' 

I looked up; for when I thought my brains were 
about to be dashed out, I had instinctively shut my 
eyes. What was my surprise to see the cliffs on either 
side of the road, and which I had thought inaccessible, 
swarming with Indians, mostly dressed in their ancient 
costume, and armed with bows and slings, with which 
they sent a shower of arrows and stones among our 
enemies I Several of them were wounded ; and the 
suddenness of the attack threw them into confusion. 
Before they could recover from it, the Indians came 
leaping down the cliffs, and threw themselves between 
the three parties of the robbers, while others advanced 
along either end of the road, so as completely to hem 
them in. With the wildest fury, animated apparently 
by the most deadly hatred, the Indians rushed on our 
assailants, who, though they fought for their lives, could 
not withstand the onset. 

I mentioned that at some distance from me I had 
observed a few of my friends, among whom I had no 
doubt was my father, hard pressed by a number of the 
robbers, who seemed intent on their destruction. The 
latter had now to defend themselves from the Indians ; 
and my father and his party attacking them in return, 


ATTACKED BY ROBBERS. 


55 


they wore either cut down at once, or attempted to 
escape by flight. A few of the more determined had 
fought their way back to where I lay, and I fully 
expected to receive my death-wound from some of 
them, as the flght passed over me, when I felt myself 
lifted in the arms of an Indian who I saw was dressed 
in the costume of a Peruvian chief ; and just as the 
combatants reached me, he carried mo out of the melee^ 
and bore me up the cliff to a spot which none were 
likely to reach. As he placed me on the ground, I 
caught a sight of his countenance, and recognis3d the 
fugitive whom we had protected, the Indian, Manco 
Tupac Amaru. Before I had time to utter a word of 
thanks, he had again leaped down the cliff and joined 
in the combat. Some ten or a dozen of the robbers, 
who were still on horseback, and had kept t gether, 
were attempting to cut their way along the road among 
the mass of Indians who opposed them. Being well 
mounted, and with superior weapons, they had a great 
advantage; but the Indians were inspired with a courage 
I little expected to witness. They rushed in upon them, 
cut their bridles, and dashed their spears in their faces ; 
and seizing them by their clothes, hung on them, in spite 
of the cuts and thrusts of their swords, till they dragged 
them from their saddles. No quarter was given ; the 
instant a robber was unhorsed he was speared; and 
before the tide of the flght had rolled on many yards, 
not one was left alive. Many of our party had fallen. 
Indeed I was surprised to observe, nor could I account 
for it, that the Indians took no pains to preserve the 
lives of the Spanish travellers, though they did their 
utmost to protect the Indian guides. The padre and 
two or three others alone escaped. The road below 


56 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

me indeed presented a sad spectacle ; for, as far as I 
could see, it appeared strewed with the corpses of my 
late companions — of robbers and Indians, many of whom 
had fallen in the last desperate struggle. I looked 
anxiously for my father, and my heart beat with joy 
as I saw him coming along the road, and evidently 
looking for me. My preserver, Manco, had observed 
him; the recognition was mutual, and they soon ap- 
proached the spot where I lay. I need not describe 
my father’s feelings at finding that I was alive. I 
endeavoured at first to conceal the pain I suffered, 
and which made me fancy that my thigh must have 
been broken. At length, however, I could not help 
giving expression to the anguish I experienced. 

‘Wait a few minutes,’ said the Indian chief, ‘and 
when I have performed some duties which are urgently 
required, I will cause my people to form a litter to 
transport you to a place of safety. What has occurred 
must remain secret for a time. I can trust you ; but 
some of the people in your company who have escaped, 
might betray our proceedings to the authorities. Their 
lives are safe, but we must keep them prisoners till they 
can no longer injure us by being at liberty.’ 

Neither my father nor I could understand what he 
meant, and before we could ask an explanation, he 
had left us. We watched his movements, and saw 
him place each of the survivors of our party between 
a guard of four armed Indians. Some of his followers 
took charge of the baggage mules; others lifted up 
the dead bodies of their friends ; while the rest were 
busily employed in collecting the arrows and the other 
Indian missiles and weapons; and they then again 
formed in marching order. A few had constructed a 


ATTACKED BY ROBBEKS. 57 

litter, and brought it to the foot of the cliff, down 
which Manco, with my father’s aid, now conveyed me. 

‘ I wish to have no sign of our having taken share 
in the fray,’ observed the Indian. ‘ The hons and con- 
dors will take good care that none shall discover how 
those men died.’ 

As he spoke, I looked up, and observed several of 
those mighty monsters of the air hovering above our 
heads, ready to pounce down on their prey as soon 
as we should have left them to enjoy their banquet 
undisturbed. 

At a sign from Manco, whom the Indians seemed to 
obey with the greatest zeal and respect, they lifted up 
my litter, and bore it along at a rapid rate. My father 
mounted a horse which was brought him, Manco rode 
another, and the priest was accommodated with a mule; 
but the rest of the Spaniards were compelled to walk, 
except poor J ose, who was carried, as was I, on the 
shoulders of some Indians ; but they did not seem at 
all to like the office, nor to regard the rest of their 
prisoners with any feeling of good-will. Every ar- 
rangement was made with great promptitude ; and as 
I watched from my litter the Indian warriors filing 
before me, I could scarcely help thinking that I saw 
a portion of the very army which the great Incas were 
accustomed to lead to victory. 

We proceeded along what might be called the high 
road for some miles, when we struck off across the 
mountains to the left, the latter part of the time being 
guided by torches, for it had become too dgjk other- 
wise to see our way. At last we arrived at a small 
hut, built on the side of a rugged mountain. It 
afforded shelter from the cold night-wind; and as 


58 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


many as it could hold took up their quarters within 
it, while the remainder bivouacked without. 

Fortunately for me, the padre was something of a 
surgeon, and on examining my leg, he assured me 
that my leg was not broken, but only severely bruised, 
and that perfect rest with fomentations would recover 
it. It was impossible, however, to obtain that rest, 
as we journeyed on without stopping, except for our 
meals and a few hours’ rest at night, for several days ; 
and though I was carried all the time, the jolting of my 
litter, as we ascended or descended the steep hills, was 
very inconvenient. But the Indians collected a variety 
of herbs, and making a decoction of them, fomented my 
leg whenever we stopped, so that the swelling gradually 
subsided, and the pain diminished. 

At length we reached a collection of deserted huts, 
among rugged and inaccessible crags, with the snowy 
peaks of the Andes towering high above us. The 
lower parts of the mountains were clothed with pine 
trees ; and long grass grew on the borders of several 
streams which run through the neighbouring valley. 
With the pine trees the Indians formed rafters to the 
cottages, and thatches with the long grass and reeds. 
In a short time they thus rendered them in some degree 
habitable. I observed that though my father was 
allowed to go where he hked, the rest of the party 
were narrowly watched, so that they could not at- 
tempt to make their escape. When he spoke to 
Manco on the subject, and expostulated with him on 
detaining the rest of the travellers, the Indian chief’s 
reply was short but firm. 

‘ It is necessary for the sake of Peru that they should 
be kept prisoners,* he observed ; ‘ had it not been for 


ATTACKED BY ROBBERS. 


59 


you and the padre, they would probably have lost their 
lives. I can trust you if you will give me your oath 
not to betray what has occurred or what you suspect, 
but I cannot trust them. When your son is able to 
move, you shall proceed on your journey; but they 
must remain here till it is safe to set them at liberty.’ 

‘ I do not seek to pry into your secrets, and should 
be guilty of the greatest ingratitude by saying a word 
even to injure you or your people,’ said my father. ‘ I 
am doubly anxious to reach Cuzco, lest my family not 
hearing of me from thence, should become alarmed.’ 

‘Write a few lines to assure your family of your 
safety, and it shall reach them long before they could 
hear from you were you to write from our ancient 
capital. Trust that to me,’ answered Manco, and he 
was afterwards found as good as his word. 

The observations which the Indian chief let fall 
made me suspect that some plan was forming among 
the Indians to emancipate themselves from the Spanish 
yoke ; and when I mentioned my surmises to my father, 
I found that he was of the same opinion, but he warned 
me not to mention my thoughts to any one. 

‘ The less we know on the subject the belter for us,’ 
he observed. ‘Living under the protection of the 
Spanish government, it might be our duty to warn 
them of danger, while it is equally our duty not to 
betray those who have trusted us.’ 

‘ A curious sort of protection they afford us, when 
they allow bands of robbers, who were near cutting 
our throats, to scour the country unmolested,’ I an- 
swered. ‘For my part, I think the Indians would 
be perfectly right to emancipate themselves from the 
galling chains which enthral them.’ 


60 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ But were they to make the attempt, they could not 
do so,’ said my father. ‘ The discipline and gold of a 
civilised people will always in the end prevail over a 
half savage one, in spite of their bravery and resolution.’ 

Our conversation was interrupted by the entrance of 
Manco. No longer a hunted fugitive, he now walked 
with the air of a chieftain, his costume also being that 
of an Inca noble of old. Although the dress had long 
been disused, except on festive occasions, he had now 
assumed it to give him greater authority among his 
countrymen. 

We found at the huts a considerable number of 
women and children, some of them belonging to the 
Indians who were with us, and some, I concluded, 
related to others who were absent. They were evi- 
dently collected here to be beyond the reach of the. 
Spaniards, and to avoid the flagitious Repartimiento 
and Metaj the more rigid imposition of which was 
about that time, I knew, causing great discontent 
among the people. The Spaniards, long accustomed 
to treat the Peruvians as inferior beings, destitute 
alike of feeling and courage, forgot that even a worm 
will at times turn and attempt to bite the foot that 
presses it. 

I had observed at times a larger number of persons 
than had accompanied us to the village ; and I remarked 
several strangers, dressed in skins and feathers, who 
came and went, and again speedily returned, as if they 
had gone only to a short distance. I told our host that 
I had observed this, and inquired where the people 
came from. 

‘From a plac§ where the foot of a white man has 
never trod,’ he replied. ‘ If you were strong and well. 


A MERCIFUL DEED RETURNED WITH INTEREST. 61 

I might take you to it, and might show you wonders 
you little expect to behold, so fully do I trust ; but the 
time may come when, free of danger, I may gratify 
your curiosity.’ 

I expected that he alluded to one of those ancient 
villages which I had heard of as existing in the heart 
of the mountains, and never discovered by the Spaniards; 
where the inhabitants had continued in the enjoyment 
of liberty, and the laws and customs of their ancestors. 
I had often wished to visit one of those remnants of 
antiquity, and I became doubly eager to do so, on find- 
ing myself in the proximity of one of them ; but Manco 
assured me that it would be utterly impossible to con- 
duct me there for a long time to come. 

We had now spent a week at the huts, and I was so 
far recovered as to be able to mount a horse and move 
about on foot with the aid of a stick ; and as my father 
was very anxious to proceed on his jonrney, we agreed 
to start the following day. On hearing that we were 
about to depart, the other travellers wished to accom- 
pany us ; but the Indians would not hear of it, and, I 
observed, kept a stricter watch than usual over them. 
Manco showed great unwillingness to part with us. 

‘ Go as you desire it, my friends,’ he said. ‘ You are 
at liberty to do as you judge best ; but for your own 
sake, as well as mine, I would have had you remain. 
However, as go you must, I will send some of my 
people to escort you on your way ; and one of them 
shall follow you as your servant till you return home. 
He will obey you in all things, but you must not blame 
him if he is absent during a few hours at times from 
you. You must pay him no wages, but you must not 
send him from you ; and if you are asked where you 


62 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

found him, say in a mountain village, and that he wished 
to come with you to see the world.’ 

The next morning our new attendant made his 
appearance. He was a small, active-looking man, of 
a lightish rusty-red colour. His dress was much as is 
usually worn at the present day, consisting of loose 
trousers of coarse brown cloth, fastened round the 
waist by a girdle, and a woollen shirt of a dark blue 
colour. His poncho, which served as his outer gar- 
ment, was of alpaca wool of the same hue as his shirt ; 
and on his head he wore a broad-brimmed hat, while 
his sandals were of untaimed leather, just covering his 
toes, and secured by a thong round the ankle. He 
took charge of a mule laden with our clothes and a 
supply of provisions. 

Manco took an affectionate farewell of us as we were 
mounting our horses at the door of the hut. He 
pressed our hands as he said — 

‘We may meet again, dear friends, at some future 
time, when the childi’en of the sun may dare to lift up 
their heads in the land where their fathers ruled. Till 
then, farewell.’ 

We found, a little farther on, a band of a hundred 
men, well armed with muskets and rifles, ready to escort 
us ; and a young man of the Inca family, their leader, 
told us that they were to accompany us to help us to 
cross the difficult barriers which surrounded the spot 
we were in, and to watch us till we reached the neigh- 
bourhood of Cuzco. 

Accustomed as I was to mountain scenery, I should 
not before have thought it possible for any four-footed 
animals to climb up the rugged precipices, over which 
the Indians led and pushed our horses and mules. In 


A IMERCIFUL DEED HETURNED WITH INTEREST. G3 

some places they were literally hauled up with ropes, 
and let down again on the other side. My kind guides 
assisted me up and down also, though I had nearly 
recovered my usual strength. A number of streams 
crossed our path, adding not a little to its difficulties. 

Our animals were generally driven into the water 
and compelled to swim across, being then hauled up on 
the other side. We passed by means of a curious kind 
of bridge called a Huano. It was formed of a thick 
rope, which is carried by means of a lighter line across 
the chasm. The lighter line was carried across by 
some powerful swimmer, or by a man holding on to the 
mane of one of the horses or mules. On the rope ran 
a roller, to which was fastened a piece of wood, and to 
the wood the passenger was secured ; the transit was 
made more easy by two light lines, by which the piece 
of wood was drawn from side to side. Several of the 
Indians went first across. I watched them in their 
dizzy transit, and I thought, if the rope breaks, what 
will become of them ? When it came to my turn to 
cross, I held my head as high as I could, and crossed 
my legs over the thick rope, which I grasped with my 
hands. I did not dare to turn to look into the deep 
gulf below ; for strong as my nerves were, I felt that if 
I did, I should have let go my hold. I was not sorry 
to find my head knocking against the shrubs and rocks 
on the opposite side. My father followed me ; and then 
the whole body, one by one, passed over. Having got 
into rather less intricate country, the captain of our 
escort told us that from this place forward we must 
no longer remain in company, though he had orders 
from his chief to watch us till all probability of danger 
was past. 


G4 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

Accordingly, my father and I, and our new Indian 
servant, prepared to proceed alone. We were still 
several days’ journey from Cuzco. We slept as before 
at those most wretched of all inns the Indian tambos, 
though wherever we stopped we could not help remark- 
ing that we were treated with more than usual kind- 
ness and respect, which we suspected was owing to our 
being under the special protection of their chief. That 
also we were not deserted by our guardians, we had 
reason to know. On more than one occasion I had 
observed one or two figures hovering on the brow of 
some hill, or appearing from behind trees, bushes, or 
rocks. I perceived once one of them started up close 
to us. I pointed him out to our attendant, who had 
likewise seen him. With a significant look he answered, 
‘ Fear not them — ^they will not injure us.’ 

We encountered but few travellers, and I do not re- 
collect any other occurrence worthy of being narrated 
during our journey. 


CUZCO DESCRIBED. 


65 


CHAPTER Y. 

CUZCO DESCRIBED WE ARE MADE PRISONERS 

ANXIETY FOR THOSE AT HOME. 

^Behold Cuzco ! ’ exclaimed our Indian guide, as, 
throwing himself from his horse, he knelt in adoration 
of the glorious luminary, whose rays were just then 
throwing a mantle of gold over the crumbhng walls of 
a mighty fortress, which protected the holy city of his 
ancestors, the capital of the Incas. 

We had just reached the brow of an elevated ridge 
which forms one side of the fertile and extensive valley 
in which Cuzco stands, built, like ancient Rome, on a 
number of hills or slight rises. To the north of the 
city, on the summit of a lofty eminence, appeared the 
still dark and frowning fortress of Cyclopean architec- 
ture, composed of stones of vast magnitude. When I 
afterwards visited it, I was surprised to find the extra- 
ordinary nicety with which, without any cement, they 
were joined together ; and I cannot tell with what 
machinery the Peruvians could have raised blocks so 
enormous to such heights, or how they could have 
fitted them, shaped as they are in so many various 
forms, with exactness so remarkable. Had I believed 
in the existence of giants, I should have supposed that 
they alone could have lifted such vast masses into the 
positions they hold. Many of the modern residences 


€6 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


of the conquerors stand on the foundations of the 
ancient buildings of the Peruvians, and from among 
them we saw towering upwards the spires and towers 
of the magnificent cathedral, of the convents of St. 
Augustine and La Merced, and of a number of other 
fine churches. We had not long to contemplate this 
scene of the ruins of the past and of modern splendour, 
as it was necessary to reach the city before dark ; and 
the setting sun warned us that we had not much time 
to lose. We were questioned, when we entered, whence 
we had come ; but before we could speak, our Indian 
attendant stepped forward and gave an answer that 
satisfied the guard, and we passed on. 

The inn we went to was the best in the city, but it 
oould boast of affording us little comfort, though, as 
we were accustomed to rough fare, that mattered little. 
At daybreak I was on foot, as I was anxious to see 
the city ; and with our Indian attendant as my guide, 
I wandered through the larger portion of it before 
breakfast. We reached a collection of ruined walls, 
composed of huge masses of rock. 

‘On this spot,’ said the Indian, bending reveren- 
tially towards the sun, just then rising over the walls 
of the city, ‘ stood the great temple where our fathers 
worshipped the God in whom they trusted ; away to 
the right, where uow those convent walls appear, were 
the residences of the beautiful virgins of the sun ; and 
in these fields of corn and lucern which surround us 
were once laid out the magnificent gardens of the 
temple, filled with menageries of all the animals of 
our country, with aviaries of birds of many-coloured 
plumage, with fountains, and trees, and flowers, and 
ornaments of vast size, of gold and silver and precious 


CUZCO DESCRIBED. 


67 


stones, many in the form of the shrubs and plants 
among which they stood, and of workmanship so admir- 
able that they seemed to vie with them in elegance 
and beauty. But the greedy spoiler came, and behold, 
stranger, what he made it ! Alas ! this garden is but 
an example of the condition to which our unhappy 
country has been reduced.’ 

The Indian was silent, and seemed lost in gloomy 
reflection. I, too, thought of the past ; and as I did 
so, the magnificent Temple of the Sun appeared before 
me, with its walls resplendent with the golden orna- 
ments which surrounded them, and its wide courts 
crowded with votaries in their many-coloured costumes 
and head-dresses and robes oi feathers, eagerly watch- 
ing for the rising of the luminary they worshipped. I 
fancied I could hear their voices, and could see the 
mighty mass below me, their plumes waving in the 
breeze as they joined the joyous shout raised by their 
friends above them. 

‘Yes, a day of bitter retribution will ere long 
arrive,’ exclaimed my companion. The deep, low, and 
concentrated tone of his voice roused me from my re- 
veries. He appeared unconscious that he had spoken. 

‘ Come, sir,’ he said, ‘ we will proceed.’ 

As I walked through the streets of Cuzco, I was 
struck with the air of antiquity which many of the 
buildings wore ; and I could not help regretting the 
worse than Gothic cruelty and ignorance of the Span- 
iards, which had destroyed the numberless magnificent 
edifices of its former inhabitants. We spent three 
days in the city, and on the fourth took our depar- 
ture, accompanied by Ithulpo. I learned that twenty 
leagues only from the city commence the territories 


68 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


of the unsubdued Indians, who will allow no stranger 
to enter their country. As I looked towards the dis- 
tant mountains which form their bulwarks, I fancied 
that it must be a land full of romance and interest, and 
I longed to penetrate into it. I was before long to 
have my wish gratified, through means I little con- 
templated. 

Our course was, however, now in a contrary direc- 
tion, north and west, towards the sea. We had pro- 
ceeded two days’ journey, when, at the urgent request 
of Ithulpo, we turned aside to rest at a town among 
the mountains. 

‘ It is inhabited chiefly by my people,’ he observed. 

‘ To-morrow they perform a ceremony, at which I wish 
to assist, and which you will like to behold.’ 

We ascended by a narrow and winding path among 
the mountains to the town, where we were lodged in 
the best house it possessed, and where the inhabitants 
vied with each other in paying us attention. The next 
morning, when I went out, I was surprised to see the 
place crowded with Indians dressed in the ancient 
costume of the country, of which certainly the pictures 
I have since seen in England and Erance do not give 
at all a correct idea. They wore feather head-dresses, 
and their cloaks and trains were likewise trimmed with 
feathers; and if not quite so picturesque, were more 
suited to their convenience than the scanty feather 
kilts in which they are made to appear. Having 
breakfasted, my father and I followed the crowd at a 
little distance to see what was going to occur. Among 
them we observed, raised above their heads, a gaily 
ornamented litter or covered palanquin, in which sat 
a person richly dressed with the regal border or red 


AN INDIAN CEREMONY. 


G9 


fringe of the Incas on his head. We learnt that he 
was intended to represent Atahualpa. On pressed the 
crowd with shouts and songs towards a large square 
before us; there they halted, when from some build- 
ings in which they had been concealed, appeared an- 
other party dressed in armour with guns in their hands, 
and one or two small pieces of cannon following them. 
They all wore masks, and were intended to represent 
Spaniards. One more hideous than the rest was evi- 
dently Pizarro, and by his side stood the priest Vicente 
de Yalverde. They approached the litter, and the 
monk addressed the Inca in a long harangue. Ata- 
hualpa replied, when a terrific shriek was heard ; the 
litter was overthrown, and the Inca was dragged 
among the Spaniards. A mock combat took place, 
but the Indians were driven back ; and then arose the 
most melancholy cries and groans ever heard. It was 
no imitated grief, for to such a pitch had they worked 
up their imaginations, that they really fancied that 
their Inca was again torn from them. At last they 
retired, and a new scene in the drama commenced. 

A number of Spaniards came forth from the build- 
ing to which they had carried off the Inca, and seated 
themselves as if holding a council. Atahualpa was 
next brought out. He stood, with downcast looks 
and hands bound, before his judges, waiting his doom. 
One man only pleaded his cause, the others brought 
forth numberless arguments for his condemnation — a 
good satire on those by which the real Inca was judged 
to be worthy of death. At length one standing up, 
pronounced the representative Atahualpa guilty, order- 
ing him to immediate execution. No sooner were the 
WDrds uttered, than there arose from the crowd such 


70 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

shrieks and cries, that I could scarcely believe them to 
be feigned. Amid them the Inca was led to the place 
of execution, already prepared, where stood a man with 
ferocious aspect with an axe uplifted in his hands. The 
axe fell, and while the cries and groans increased, as I 
saw a bloody head lifted up before me, I thought for 
an instant that the man had really been killed. I 
soon, however, saw that the bloody head was merely a 
block of wood, while a piece of cloth was thrown over 
the person who had represented the Inca to conceal him 
from view. The Indians, however, appeared to be as 
deeply affected with grief as if they had really just 
seen their beloved monarch slaughtered before their 
eyes, to such a pitch were their imaginations worked 
up by the scene which had been acted. Had I not 
witnessed what I describe, I could scarcely have be- 
lieved it possible ; and as the Cholas sang their songs 
of mourning, the tears streamed down their cheeks, the 
groans seemed to come from the hearts of the men, and 
every countenance wore an expression of the most pro- 
found sorrow. Just at that moment I saw a man 
hurrying up the path which led into the village from 
the valley below. Almost breathless with exertion, he 
uttered a few words to the first he met. His com- 
munication flew like lightning among the crowd. They 
scattered in every direction, as if a thunderbolt had 
fallen among them. Masks were torn off and hastily 
concealed, dresses were changed, and the block and 
axe, and all the things connected with the representa- 
tion, were carried away, while the people ran along 
the streets, and shut themselves up in their houses in 
evident fright. 

We were not long in ascertaining the cause of the 


A SURPRISE. 


71 


commotion. As I watched the approach to the town, 
I caught sight of the bayonet and shako of a soldier 
rising above the brow of a hill. Another and another 
followed, till about twenty men and two Spanish officers 
formed in the square of the town. That they had come 
for no good purpose, was soon made manifest by their 
charging a small party of the Indians who had neglected 
to escape from the square. So unexpected was the at- 
tack, that some were captured, while others were cruelly 
wounded before they could conceal themselves. The 
soldiers having thus whetted their thirst for blood, 
hurried from cottage to cottage, breaking open the 
doors and dragging out the terrified inmates. Those 
w*ho were found with a mask, or any portion of the 
ancient Indian costume about them, proving that they 
had taken part in the forbidden representation, were 
without mercy shot, in spite of the entreaties and 
cries of their wives and children. A considerable num- 
ber were also dragged from their huts and bound 
together with ropes, preparatory to being carried off 
as prisoners. 

We had hitherto remained concealed in the house 
where we had rested for the night, and which had been 
unvisited by the soldiers. Had we been able to leave 
the village unobserved, we would gladly have done so 
to avoid contact with the troops, though we had no 
reason to apprehend ill treatment from them. My 
father had desired Ithulpo to have our horses and 
baggage ready to start at a moment’s notice. While 
we remained shut up in the house, we could only judge 
of what was going on by the sounds we heard. The 
shots and cries had grown fainter, and thinking that 
the soldiers must have got to a distance, we considered 


72 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

this a good opportunity to set out. Ithulpo had been 
watching them through a hole in the wall of an en- 
closure, at a little distance from the cottage within 
which our animals were to be kept ready. I looked 
cautiously out of the door of the cottage, and seeing 
no one near, I ran round to where Ithulpo was posted. 
I told him that we were ready to start. 

‘ I was coming to tell you that now is our time to 
start,’ he replied. ‘ I wish that I was certain that all 
the soldiers are together, for I am afraid that some 
may be left to guard the outlet to the village ; but we 
must run the risk.’ 

We accordingly brought the horses round. Our 
baggage was soon strapped on, and mounting immedi- 
ately, we set off at a brisk pace, followed by the well- 
wishes of our host, towards the only outlet to the 
village. Several houses were in flames, and more than 
one apparently dead Indian met our view. A short 
hour had made a sad change in the peaceful village, 
which now looked as if it had been stormed and sacked 
by a cruel enemy. We had no time to stop to examine 
whether any of the prostrate forms we saw were still 
alive, so we pushed on. Just, however, as we reached 
the top of the pathway down the mountain, a party of 
soldiers, with an officer at their head, appeared suddenly 
before us. It was impossible to escape notice, so we 
attempted to pass them. 

‘ Stop !’ cried the officer, presenting a pistol. ‘ Who 
are you?’ 

‘ English travellers, on the road to Lima,’ answered 
my father. 

‘Say rather English abettors of rebels,’ exclaimed 
the officer fiercely. ‘We find you in a village en- 


WE ARE MADE PRISONERS. 


73 


conraging tho ignorant people by your presence ta 
break the law. You are our prisoners.’ 

My father pleaded in vain that we had no intention 
of breaking the law, or encouraging others to do so. 

‘ You may make your excuse to the government of 
Lima,’ answered the officer ; and he ordered us to re- 
main where we were on pain of being shot. 

A number of prisoners were collected together, and 
we had no doubt that he had heard from one of them 
of our being present at the forbidden ceremony we had 
witnessed. The bugle now sounded the recall, and 
soon afterwards the rest of the soldiers returned, drag- 
ging after them a number more of wretched prisoners. 
They appeared to be the principal people in the village ; 
and whether guilty or not of the crimes charged against 
them, they were dragged away from their homes, to 
undergo more suffering on their road to their place of 
trial than they would deserve even if proved guilty. 

The unhappy men were lashed together by the wrists 
two and two, all being likewise joined by a single stout 
rope ; while blows and curses urged them on if they did 
not move fast enough to please their tyrants. Had the 
inhabitants of the village united bravely, they might 
have overpowered the soldiers and rescued their friends; 
but terror-stricken, they were afraid to show themselves. 

Neither my father nor I were in any way molested, 
but a soldier was placed on each side of us and our 
Indian attendant, with orders to shoot us if we at- 
tempted to escape, a command they seemed very ready 
to obey. The word was then given to move on, and 
we commenced our descent of the mountain, a body of 
eight soldiers bringing up the rear. We addressed 
the officers several times to learn why we were thus 


74 5I.VNC0, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

treated, but the only answer the one in command deigned 
to make was — 

‘ You are found in communication with rebel Indians, 
and there are suspicions against you.’ 

I thought of our having aided the escape of the 
Indian chief Manco, and feared that by some means 
the circumstance might have become known. If such 
were the case, I trembled for the safety of my dear 
mother and brothers and sisters. I thought of all the 
insults and annoyance to which they must have been 
subjected while our house was being searched, and my 
father’s papers and books being examined, which I 
knew they would be, by the officers of justice. I did 
not, however, communicate my thoughts to my father, 
as I felt that if it suggested the same idea to him, it 
would cause him much pain and anxiety. 

I endeavoured therefore, as we rode on, to amuse 
him by conversation; but I am afraid I succeeded 
very ill. Ithulpo was very gloomy and silent, evi- 
dently brooding over the wrongs his countrymen had 
so long endured, and were still receiving, from their 
oppressors. At the foot of the mountain we found 
another party of soldiers concealed in a wood, and 
guarding the horses of our escort. The whole then 
mounted ; and as we proceeded at a more rapid rate, 
the captive Indians were goaded on more cruelly to 
keep up with us. Ithulpo still said not a word ; but 
as his eyes were now and then turned towards his 
countrymen, I observed that looks of intelligence were 
exchanged between them. Some shrieked with pain; 
others returned glances of rage at their tormentors ; a 
few almost fainted, till stirred up again to proceed; 
and two, who had been wounded, actually dropped 


ANXIETY FOR THOSE AT HOME. 


75 


down, and as they were left in the rear, the report of 
musketry told what had been their fate. The fear of 
a similar catastrophe deterred , others from giving in 
while they had any strength remaining to drag onwards 
their weary limbs. 

My father’s kind heart was bursting with indignation 
and grief ; but from the surly answers he received, he 
saw that it would be hopeless to plead for the unhappy 
beings. 

‘ A day of bitter retribution will come, ere long, for 
this tyranny,’ he observed. ‘ Such conduct must arouse 
even the most long-enduring from their apathy. Even 
as it is, how entirely has Spain failed to reap any benefit 
from her apparently glorious conquest of this new world! 
or rather, I may say, from the mode in which that con- 
quest was conducted, it has brought on her a heavy 
curse instead of a blessing. Since she gained America, 
she has gradually declined in wealth, intelligence, and 
power; and if I mistake not the signs of the times, 
these beautiful provinces will soon be wrested from her, 
though, alas, the seeds of misgovernment and bigotry 
which she planted, will take ages more to eradicate.’ 

Subsequent events, as my readers know, proved the 
correctness of my father’s observations. Spain no 
longer holds sway over any part of the American 
continent ; and the colonies she has planted, ever 
since constantly plunged in civil war and anarchy, 
have been far outstripped in civilisation by those 
peopled by the Anglo-Saxon race. 


76 


MANCO, THE PEKUVIAN CniEP. 


CHAPTER YL 

ATTEMPT TO CROSS A DESERT THE DISASTERS 

WE ENCOUNTERED. 

OuR journey was irksome and disagreeable in the ex- 
treme. We marched on each day as long as the horses 
and men could move ; and we rested at night, sometimes 
in farm-houses, or in the public tambos ; but frequently 
we took shelter within the ruins of forts or other build- 
ings, and often we were obliged to sleep on the hard 
ground, with our saddles for our pillows and the star- 
lit sky above our heads. As it was the height of sum- 
mer, this mattered little. We suffered, however, much 
from the heat in the day-time, and we were compelled 
frequently to dismount to lead our horses over the 
rugged places we had to pass. Day after day the 
poor captives dropped through fatigue, till their num- 
bers were much thinned ; but still we pushed on. We 
passed through a number of Indian villages, the inhabi- 
tants of which looked out from their mat doors with 
sad eyes on their unhappy countrymen ; and we now 
discovered that the object of the Spaniards in carry- 
ing them on was to strike terror into the hearts of the 
people. When governors cannot manage a people so 
as to gain their love, they attempt to rule them through 
their fears; but such a government is never of long 
duration, and must ultimately bring destruction on 


ATTEMPT TO CROSS A DESERT. 


77 


itself. We had marched for three days without find- 
ing any habitations, when I saw the ofl&cers holding 
consultation together, and evidently much perplexed. 
A halt was ordered, and inquiries made if anybody 
knew the road. We had lost our way. The Indians 
had no knowledge of that part of the country, nor had 
any of the soldiers. I detected a gleam of intelligence 
in the countenance of Ithulpo, which made me suspect 
that he could give the desired information if he chose ; 
but when asked, he denied all knowledge of the way. 
We took shelter that night within the walls of a ruined 
village, which, from its appearance, I judged had not 
been inhabited since the time of the conquest, except 
as a temporary abode in the same manner as we used 
it. It must have been a place of some extent, but the 
greater part was concealed by trees and shrubs, and 
creeping plants, which had grown up among the walls. 

. Most of the buildings were of sun-dried bricks; but 
others, within one of which we were placed, were of 
masses of stone, like the fortress of Cuzco. It had 
probably been the residence of a chief or noble. It 
seemed strange that the Spaniards should not have 
known so remarkable a spot ; but though they did not, 
I was certain that the Indians were well acquainted 
with it. 

The prisoners were all driven together like a flock of 
sheep within one of the enclosures, and a sentry was 
placed over them, with orders to shoot any who might 
attempt to escape. After the horses had been picketed 
in a grassy spot close to the ruins, the soldiers lighted 
their fires to dress their evening. meal, while the two 
officers sat themselves down on a fragment of stone 
and smoked their cigars, taking no notice of us. Our 


78 BIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

horses and luggage mule had been placed with the 
others under a guard; so they thought, I suppose, 
that we should not attempt to escape. Meantime my 
father and I sat at a little distance, watching the pro- 
ceedings of our very unwelcome companions, while 
Ithulpo stood near, casting every now and then to- 
wards them glances expressive of the most intense 
hatred, and a desire of vengeance. The sun was still 
low, but his rays yet tinged the topmost branches of 
the trees and the lofty ranges of mountains in the 
distance. The soldiers had brought skins of wine 
and plenty of good cheer with them ; and when they 
had eaten, they passed the wine-skins round right 
merrily, the officers joining in the carouse. Instead 
of pouring the wine into cups, they lifted the skins 
high above their heads, and without touching the 
vessel to their lips, allowed the wine to run down 
their throat in a gentle stream. As we were close 
enough to them to be easily watched, the officers, I 
suppose, thought that we should not attempt to move 
away. Ithulpo had stowed a sort of knapsack he 
carried with some dried meat and bread, which he 
now produced, and it served to satisfy our appetites ; 
but we had no wine, and our surly guards did not 
deign to offer us any. 

‘ Do not repine, sirs, at the want,’ he observed. ‘ I 
will show you a pure stream, the water of which, ere 
to-morrow’s sun has set, those soldiers will value more 
than the finest wine their country can produce.’ 

The sun went down, and the shades of night came 
rapidly on, but still the Spaniards continued their de- 
bauch. They had apparently forgotten us and their 
other prisoners ; for though by the light of their fires 


ATTEMPT TO CROSS A DESERT. 


79 


we could clearly see them, sitting as we were under the 
shadow of a wall, we were no longer visible to them. 
Ithulpo came and sat himself down beside me. 

‘Could we not manage to get away from these 
people I ’ I asked in a whisper. 

‘ Not now,’ he answered. - ‘ The sentries would give 
the alarm if' we attempted to take the horses, and with- 
out them we cannot move. To-morrow we shall have 
a better opportunity, and we may help some of my poor 
countrymen to escape at the same time.’ 

‘Why do you expect that a good opportunity to 
escape will occur?’ I inquired. 

‘ I cannot at present reply to your question,’ he said. 
‘ Those who now guard us will no longer be able to do 
so. Trust to me. You will enter Lima as free men, 
and no one will appear as a witness against you, to 
support the false accusation these people have made.’ 

I forbore to question him further, but there was 
something very mysterious in his look and manner ; and 
at first the horrid idea occurred to me that he had by 
some means contrived to poison the Spaniards, for 
otherwise I could not account for the confidence with 
which he pronounced his prediction. However, I en- 
deavoured to banish the suspicion as too dreadful to be 
entertained. At length the commanding oflficer seemed 
to recollect that he had duties to attend to. Fresh 
guards were set over the prisoners and the horses, wood 
was collected and the fires were made up, and a sentinel 
was posted near the spot, under shelter of a wall, which 
we had selected for our place of rest. Ithulpo got 
leave to bring us our saddles and horse-trappings to 
serve us for beds, and he likewise brought us our port- 
manteaus and saddle-bags, which he placed near us. 


80 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

The soldiers threw themselves on the ground, and were 
very soon fast asleep. Our sentry also, from the manner 
his head every now and then gave a sharp nod, was 
evidently very drowsy. The heat of the weather, the 
exertion he had undergone, and the wine he had drunk, 
were quite enough to account for this. I also at last 
fell asleep. My eyes had been closed for about a couple 
of hours, when I was awakened by Ithulpo touching 
my shoulder. I sat up, and observed that he had the 
wine -skins emptied by the soldiers hanging on his 
arm. 

‘ Follow me,’ he whispered. ‘ We are not going to 
escape ; but you are thirsty, and I will show you a pure 
spring, where you may drink your fill, and you will be 
better able to endure the heat of to-morrow’s sun.’ 

Silently following him, as he led the way among the 
ruins, I found that we had^reached a thick and appa- 
rently impenetrable wood. Without stopping, how- 
ever, he went direct to a spot where the branches 
yielded easily to his hand. A winding path appeared 
before us, proceeding along which, we arrived in an open 
forest glade. On one side rose a high rock, which 
seemed part of a range jof cliffs forming the side of a 
mountain. The murmuring sound of water met my 
ear, and by the faint starlight I discovered a stream 
gushing forth from the rock, and finding its way in a 
narrow rivulet through the glade. 

‘ The white man thinks that the discovery of a gold 
mine will bring him all the wealth he can desire ; but 
the time has come when he would gladly exchange all 
the gold and silver hidden within yon mountains for one 
draught of that pure stream,’ muttered Ithulpo, as I 
stooped my head to drink at the fountain. ‘ Drink — 


ATTEMPT TO CROSS A DESERT. 


81 


drink while you can,’ he continued in the same low 
tone. ‘ It is more than wealth, it is life itself ; it fer- 
tilizes, it invigorates, it cleanses, it blesses. Without it 
the world would be but a sterile desert, unfit for the 
habitation of man; while gold, which the white men 
value so much, has ever proved the curse of our country. 
They value it because they think it scarce, while we, 
who know the deep mines where in vast heaps it lies 
hid from their sight, place it at its true worth, below 
iron and copper, or even silver or tin.’ 

While Ithulpo was thus speaking, he was employed 
in washing out and filling the skins he had brought 
with water. I also filled a couple of flasks with the 
pure fluid. We then retraced our steps by the way we 
had come, I assisting him in carrying the somewhat 
heavy burden. We reached the camp unobserved by 
the drowsy sentries. I was wondering what the Indian 
intended doing with the skins, when, begging me to lie 
down and rest, he took up two of the skins, and crept 
cautiously away towards the enclosure where his 
countrymen were confined. After a little time he re- 
turned, and again took the path to the fountain to 
replenish the skins. I was afraid he would have been 
discovered, but he went about the work so cautiously 
and silently, that he altogether escaped the observation 
of the sentries. After he had given the prisoners all 
the water they required, he came back to where we 
were lying, and threw himself on the ground near us. 
The rest of the night passed quietly away ; and notwith- 
standing the painful position in which we were placed, 
I slept soundly. I was aroused by the sound of a 
bugle, and found the soldiers getting under arms and 
preparing to march. Our baggage was replaced bj 


82 JIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

Ithulpo, who I saw watched it carefully. The men 
mounted, the prisoners were dragged out from their 
resting-place, and we commenced our day’s journey. 

An extensive plain was before ns, with a few rugged 
and barren heights scattered over it. As we proceeded 
vegetation grew more and more scanty, till after we 
had marched scarcely half a mile, it ceased altogether. 
We had slept, we found, on the borders of a desert. 
The ground was at first composed of a mixture of rock 
and clay, over which the sea had evidently rolled in 
former ages ; but as we proceeded it became more loose 
and broken, till it changed into a soft shifting sand, 
into which our horses’ feet sank deep at every step they 
made. 

The poor prisoners, already worn out with their long 
journey, appeared scarcely able to drag on their weary 
limbs through it. Of its extent we were unable to 
judge, but the commander seemed to fancy that in a 
short time we should reach firmer and more fertile 
ground, where we should find water and halt to break- 
fast. The sun, which rose in a cloudless sky on our 
right, showed that we were proceeding in the direction 
we wished to follow — towards the north. 

‘ Forward, my men,’ shouted the officer. ‘ In an hour 
or two we shall be out of this ill-conditioned spot, and 
find rest and refreshment.’ 

The soldiers lighted their cigars and urged on their 
horses, while they dealt their blows freely on the backs 
of the Indians to quicken their speed. 

I observed a peculiar smile on the countenance of 
Ithulpo, as the officer spoke of soon reaching a place 
of rest. Our attendant had, I found, managed to dis- 
tribute a supply of the highly prized cacao among his 


ATTEMPT TO CROSS A DESERT. 


83 


countrymen ; and while their features wore a look of 
sullen indifference as they received the ill-merited blows, 
I remarked that they seemed to bear up against the 
fatigue better tiian they had before done. As the sun 
rose higher the heat increased, till it became almost in- 
supportable. The officers spoke earnestly together for 
some time, and were evidently growing anxious as to 
the road we were taking. At length their voices grew 
louder and louder, as if disputing on the point, for 
there was very Httle semblance of discipline among 
them. Then they called up several of their men one 
after the other, but could not gain the information they 
required. Some of the prisoners were next brought 
up, but they either could not or would not say whether 
we were pursuing the proper course, their countenances 
assuming an expression of the most perfect ignorance 
and apathy. Still we pushed on, the Spaniards trying 
to urge their horses still faster through the heavy sand. 

Before us rose a bright ghttering haze, through which 
objects every now and then appeared seemingly in the 
far distance — hills, and trees, and rocks, and lakes, and 
streams of pure water ; but as we advanced they van- 
ished, and a few barren mounds and loose stones alone 
were found, while the supposed water was altogether a 
mocking deception. To the right hand and to the left, 
the same inhospitable desert seemed to stretch out far 
away ; and we had already advanced so deeply into it, 
that the officers probably supposed that there would be 
as much risk in returning as in going on. On therefore 
we went, the soldiers having no mercy on the prisoners, 
whom they urged forward, whenever they attempted to 
slacken their pace, with the points of their swords, till 
the blood trickled in streams down the backs of these 


84 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


miserable beings. We were riding just behind the 
main body of the soldiers, followed by Ithulpo and the 
baggage mules. The generous, kind heart of my father 
was almost bursting with indignation, as he saw this 
piece of cruelty. 

At last, as an Indian more weary than the rest sunk 
to the ground, and a soldier was about to plunge his 
sword into his body, he could restrain himself no 
longer. 

‘ Hold, wretch !* he exclaimed. ‘ Add not murder to 
your cruelty.’ 

The soldier, taken by surprise, did not strike the 
fatal blow till his horse had carried him past the faint- 
ing Indian; but, balked of his prey, his anger was 
kindled against my father, and turning round, he made 
a cut at him with his sword. Fortunately I carried a 
heavy riding whip, with which I was able to parry the 
blow. The man did not attempt to repeat it, for the 
junior officer turning round, observed the act, and 
called him to order ; but it showed us what we were 
to expect if we excited the anger of our captors. I 
could not withstand the despairing look the poor wretch 
cast on us as he thought we were about to pass him 
and to leave him to his fate ; so throwing myself from 
my horse, I lifted his head from the ground. My 
father stopped also, and so did Ithulpo. 

‘On, on!’ shouted the rear-guard of the Spaniards. 
‘ On, or we will fire at you.’ 

‘We will follow immediately,’ replied my father. 
‘ On my word of honour — on the word of an English- 
man.’ 

The Spaniards had never known that word broken, 
so they allowed us to stop to help the Indian. One of 


ATTEMPT TO CROSS A DESERT. 


85 


our baggage mules was lightly laden, and in spite of 
the threats of the soldiers we lifted him upon it. I 
had, as I mentioned, filled a small spirit-fiask with 
water, and unseen I poured a few drops down his 
parched throat. This much revived him, and by 
urging on our animals, we were soon able to overtake 
the already weary horses of the Spaniards. 

The time for breakfast had long since passed, but 
still no signs of a resting-place appeared. On the 
contrary, the sand became finer and deeper, and the 
dreary expanse before us seemed to lengthen out to 
the horizon. As the sun also rose higher in the sky, 
his unobstructed rays darted down with greater force 
upon our heads. There had been a slight breeze in 
the morning, blowing fresh from over the snowy sum- 
mits of the Cordilleras ; but that had now died entirely 
away, and not a breath of air stirred the stagnant 
atmosphere. The heat at length became almost insup- 
portable, while our eyes could scarcely bear the glare 
of the sun on the white glittering sand. 

To do the Spaniards credit, they bore up bravely 
for a long time against the heat and thirst and fatigue 
which assailed them. The horses, however, which had 
only been scantily supplied with water the night before, 
began to knock up — their ears dropped, their heads 
hung down, and their respiration became thick and 
fast. Ithulpo had supplied my father and me with 
cacao, by chewing a piece of which occasionally, we 
avoided any feeling of hunger ; and as we also wetted 
our lips, when they became parched, with the water 
from our flasks, we did not suffer much from thirst. 
Still the sensation of oppression and fatigue was very 
painful. We received too, ere long, a warning of what 


86 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


might be our fate, in the spectacle which met our sight. 
The sun had reached his meridian height, and was 
descending towards the waters of the Pacific, and still 
it appeared that we had made no more progress than 
in the morning, when we came upon the bleached bones 
of several mules and horses, and by their side appeared, 
just rising above the sand, the skeletons of three human 
beings. It appeared as if they had all been struck 
down together by the same fiery blast. The soldiers, 
as we passed, turned their looks aside, without utter- 
ing a word, each one feeling that he might shortly 
become like those ghastly remnants of mortality. I 
observed that the heads of the animals were all turned 
towards the south, by which I judged that thus they 
had probably travelled over a greater distance of the 
burning desert than we had yet passed, so that we were 
yet not half over our difficulties. 

‘ Those skeletons show that we are on the high road 
across the desert,’ I remarked to my father. 

‘ I am afraid not, David,’ he answered. ‘ They may 
have lost their way, and we have stumbled on them by 
chance.’ 

Such, I at once saw, was too likely to be the case. 

The gauze-like mist of which I had before spoken, 
now appeared to grow more dense, and to lose its 
transparent appearance ; at the same time that the 
rays of the sun struck down with fiercer heat, and the 
atmosphere grew more stagnant and oppressive. Some 
of the soldiers had lighted their cigars, in the hope that 
the fumes of tobacco would alleviate their thirst ; and 
as the tiny jets of smoke left their mouths, they went 
straight up towards the sky, not a breath existing to 
blow them aside. Suddenly, as I turned my head to 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 87 

the left, I saw what appeared to be a dark cloud rising 
from the earth. I pointed it out to my father. Ithulpo 
had at the same time observed it. 

‘ Muffle up your heads in your ponchos, and push on 
for the love of life,’ he exclaimed. ‘It is the sand- 
drift swept before a whirlwind. On! on! or it will 
overwhelm us ! ’ 

It was indeed an object to appal the stoutest heart. 
On it came, like a black wall, rising higher and higher, 
and curling over our heads, till the sky and the sun 
himself were obscured. The soldiers saw it and 
trembled, for they knew its deadly power ; whole regi- 
ments had before been buried beneath that heavy 
canopy. Then* only chance of safety, they fancied, 
was to gallop through it. With frantic energy they 
dug their spurs into the sides of their panting steeds. 
They no longer thought of their miserable prisoners. 
Without a sensation of commiseration, they left them 
to the dreadful fate they themselves strove to escape. 
Neither could we do anything for them ; if we stopped, 
we also should lose our lives. As we followed the 
soldiers, we found the Indians all huddled together, 
with looks of despair on their countenances, watching 
the approach of the sand-drift. They had no pro- 
spect of extricating themselves either ; for the Spaniards 
had not even cut the cords which bound them all to- 
gether. I glanced at the black wall of sand ; it was 
still some way off. Could I leave my fellow-creatures 
thus to perish horribly, without an attempt to save 
them? No burning thirst, thanks to Ithulpo’s pre- 
cautions, had yet dried up the sympathies of my heart. 

‘What are you going to do, David?’ asked my 
father, as he saw me throw myself from my horse. 


88 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ To give these poor fellows a chance of life,’ I an- 
swered, drawing out my knife, and cutting away at 
their cords. 

‘ Your mother and sisters, my lad, must not be for- 
gotten,’ he muttered ; ‘ but stay, I will help you.’ 

As he said this he set to work to release the Indians, 
in which we were directly joined by Ithulpo ; the rear- 
guard, as they passed by, bestowing many curses and 
threats of vengeance on our heads for our interference ; 
but they were too anxious to save their own lives to 
prevent us. Scarcely a minute was lost. 

‘Mount! mount! and ride on!’ cried Ithulpo. 

Throwing our knives to the Indians, we leaped on 
our horses, and again followed the direction we sup- 
posed the soldiers had taken. We had not proceeded 
many yards when the wall of sand seemed to wheel 
round like an extended line of infantry, and then to 
advance at double speed. To escape it by galloping 
from it was now hopeless; so we turned our horses’ 
heads to face it. As we did so, a clear break appeared 
in one part. 

‘ Let us make for yonder lighter spot,’ shouted my 
father. 

We did so. On came the dark wall ; the sand swept 
by us, whirling round and round our heads, blinding 
our eyes, and filling our ears and nostrils. It was with 
difficulty even that we could breathe, as with each re- 
spiration our mouths became choked with the sand. I 
endeavoured, as well as I was able, to keep close to my 
father, though for a time it was only by our voices, as 
we shouted to each other, that we were aware of each 
other’s position. We did our utmost to keep our horses’ 
heads in the direction the sand-storm came from, that 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 


89 


we might the more speedily pass through it. They 
breasted it bravely, though their thick-drawn breath 
showed the pain they suffered ; but they seemed to be 
ns well aware as ourselves of the necessity of exertion. 
It was .with difficulty, however, that we could even 
keep our seats, as, with our hats pressed over our 
eyes, our ponchos drawn tight around us, and our 
bodies bent down over their necks, we encouraged them 
to proceed with bit and rein. We were making all the 
time, in reality, but little real progress, as I soon dis- 
covered; their utmost exertion being required to lift 
their legs out of the sand, which was rapidly collecting 
round us. 

On a sudden, a dark mass swept towards us. I 
know not how it was, — I believe I must have turned 
to my right, — I kept calling to my father as before ; 
but oh, what horror — what agony seized my soul 
when he did not answer! and as I endeavoured to 
pierce the thick mass of sand which surrounded me, 
I could nowhere see him. I could not tell which way 
to turn. I felt lost and bewildered, and I believed that 
my last moment had arrived — a dreadful death was to 
be my lot. I did not regard myself ; it was for my 
noble father I felt. ‘ 0 that I could have died with 
him!’ I thought. My brave horse, however, still 
exerted himself to save his own life and mine, when 
I had ceased to care what became of me, by continu- 
ing to lift his feet above the overwhelming sand-drifts. 
My only wish was to find my father ; but so completely 
was I bewildered that I knew not whether to turn to 
the right hand or to the left. His horse might have 
sunk down, I thought, and then in a few moments he 
would for ever have been covered up from mortal sight; 


90 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


or, overcome with fatigue and the suffocating atmo- 
sphere, he might have fallen, and been unable to regain 
his steed. Or happily he might have passed through 
the sand-drift in safety, and have been all the time suf- 
fering with anxiety for my sake. But this hope was 
very transient; the predominant feeling was that my 
father was lost, and that I was about to share his fate. 
I was thus giving way to despair, when I was aware of 
a considerable decrease in the density of the sand-laden 
atmosphere; the last breath of the fierce whirlwind 
passed by; the sun shone forth bright and clear, and I 
stood alone amid a sea of glittering sand. Oh, with 
what an aching anxious heart I looked around, to see 
if the one object I sought was visible on that dreary 
white expanse ! Before me, there was nothing ; a few 
mounds and rocks alone were to be seen between me 
and the horizon; but as I turned round just as tho 
column of sand swept on, not thirty paces behind me, 
with joy such as I cannot describe, I saw my father 
stooping down and endeavouring to extricate his horse 
from the sand, which had partially covered him. 1 
hurried towards him, and leaping to the ground, threw 
myself into his arms. For the moment all sensations 
of fatigue or thirst were forgotten in the joy of recover- 
ing him. 

Knowing that my horse was strong, he had felt less 
anxiety on my account than I had on his. With some 
exertion we cleared away the sand, and once more got 
his horse upon his feet, though the poor animal appeared 
scarcely able to move, much less to bear a man of my 
father’s weight. We had still one flask of water un- 
touched. We drank a little, and with a portion of 
the remainder washed the mouths and nostrils of our 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 91 

horses, and poured a few drops down their throats, 
still keeping a little for any further emergency. This 
very much revived them ; and once more mounting, we 
endeavoured to find our way across the desert. 

Since the sand-drift first overtook us, scarcely as 
much time had elapsed as it has occupied to read the 
account I have given ; but so dreadful were the sensa- 
tions I experienced, and so intense my anxiety, that to 
me it appeared an age. The heat soon became almost 
as great as before the storm, and the atmosphere as 
oppressive, warning us that, though thus far preserved, 
we were still placed in a position of great peril. It 
was now that I felt the benefit of the firm reliance in 
the goodness of Providence, which my father had ever 
inculcated, and which at this juncture supported him. 

‘ Courage, my dear boy,’ he exclaimed. ‘ God has 
thus far preserved us. He will still find the means 
of rescuing us.’ • 

As he spoke, the dark wall of sand, which had been 
receding from us, after whirling in various directions, 
seemed to settle down in a line of undulating mounds 
in the distance; and on every side the horizon once 
more became entirely clear. 

We naturally first tried to discover any traces of thu 
Spanish cavalry ; and after straining my eyes for some 
time, I perceived a few dark objects which seemed to 
be moving on towards the point which, from the posi- 
tion of the sun, we judged to be the north. Some 
other objects beyond them afforded us a fair hope of 
being able to find our way out of this dreadful desert. 
I could not doubt that what I saw were the tops of 
some tall trees, though at such a distance that their 
base was not visible; indeed my father, who agreed 


92 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


with me that they were trees, was of opinion that they 
grew on ground somewhat elevated above the sandy 
plain. 

Towards them, therefore, we steered our course, as 
the Spaniards were also probably doing. Our horses, 
we fancied, must have seen them likewise, or their 
instinct told them that water was to be found in the 
neighbourhood. We looked round in vain for Ithulpo 
and the Indians. Not a sign of them could we per- 
ceive, and it would have been madness to have at- 
tempted to search for them. Indeed, had we found 
them, we could have rendered them no assistance. I 
was in hopes, indeed, that Ithulpo, whose horse was 
strong, and who I suspected knew the country better 
than he pretended to the Spaniards, would have found 
some means of escaping, and of aiding his countrymen. 
We had, in truth, still too much to do in attempting 
to preserve our own lives, to allow us to think much of 
others. It would be assuming to be above humanity, 
did I not confess this. 

The sun was already sinking low ; and should we be 
unable to reach the trees before dark, and be compelled 
to rest on the plain or wander about it all night, we 
could scarcely hope to survive. The ground we passed 
over was as smooth as if the receding tide had just left 
it. Not the sign of a footstep of man or beast was to 
be seen, though here and there a slight rise showed that 
some harder substance had offered an impediment to the 
drifting sand. After toiling onwards for half an hour 
at a very slow pace, we came upon a horse’s head just 
rising from the sand. He had died probably in attempt- 
ing to extricate himself. Several heaps showed that 
others — human beings, too probably — also lay beneath. 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 


93 


They, at all events, were beyond all help. The horse 
I recognised, from the head-trappings, as belonging to 
the officer commanding the party. We were passing 
on, when we observed, a little on the right, a man ex- 
tended on his back. A movement of his arm showed 
me that he was not dead, and that probably he was 
endeavouring to call our attention to himself. 

‘ Though he is one of those who showed no pity to 
the poor Indians, we must try what we can do for him,^ 
said my father ; and we turned our horses towards him. 

As he saw ns approach, he mustered all his strength 
and tried to rise. 

‘ Water, water V he muttered. ‘ In mercy give me a 
drop of water !’ 

It was the cruel officer himself. Still he was a fellow- 
creature. W e had a small portion of water in the flask. 
We might want it ourselves, but still we could not leave 
him thus to die. So I dismounted, and approached 
him with the flask, while my father held my horse, who 
showed signs of an eagerness to rush on to the oasis 
we had discovered. The officer, when he saw the flask, 
would have seized it, and drained off the whole of its 
contents ; but I held it back, and pouring out a few 
drops in the cover, let them trickle down his throat. I 
thought of what Ithulpo had said of water being of 
more value often than gold. Truly those drops were 
more precious to the dying man ; they had the effect 
of instantly reviving him. Brightness came back to his 
glazed eyes, his voice returned, and he was able to sit 
up, and even to make an attempt to rise on his feet ; 
but to do so was more than his strength would allow. 

‘ Give me more water or I shall die,’ he said as he 
saw me replacing the flask in my pocket. ‘ My rascally 


^4 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

troopers have deserted me, to try and save their own 
worthless lives, and I have only you foreigners to de- 
pend on.’ 

‘ I cannot give you more water,’ I answered. ‘ I have 
but a few di’ops left to moisten my father’s and my own 
lips.’ 

‘ 0 leave them for me. I will give you your liberty, 
I will give you all I possess in the world, for that small 
flask of water,’ he exclaimed. ‘ You will not require 
it, for beneath yonder trees, in the distance, you will 
find a fountain where you may drink your fill. Have 
mercy, stranger, have mercy ! ’ 

It was difficult to withstand the poor wretch’s earnest 
appeal. I poured out a little more water, which he 
drank off at once. I then gave him a small lump of 
cocoa ; and scraping up a heap of sand, I placed him 
leaning against it, so that he might feel any breath of 
air which might blow ; promising faithfully to return to 
bring him to the oasis, if we were fortunate enough to 
reach it in safety. 

‘ But the voracious condors and the lions will come 
and destroy me, if I remain here during the night 
alone,’ he shrieked out. ‘ 0 take me with you, generous 
Englishman, take me with you ! ’ 

To do this was utterly impossible. My horse could 
scarcely carry me, much less another person in addition. 

‘ Come, David,’ said my father; ‘ you have done your 
utmost for this miserable man. We risk our own lives 
by further V delay.’ 

In spite, therefore, of the entreaties of the Spaniard, 
I again mounted my horse. It just then occurred to 
me that if he had his pistols, he might defend himself 
against any wild beasts. On my offering to load them 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 95 

for him, he told me that he had thrown them away. So 
I gave him one of my own, with a little ammunition, 
that he might reload it, if required. He seized the 
weapon eagerly as I presented it. 

‘ Then you will not stay to help me, or carry me with 
you ! ’ he exclaimed fiercely as I rode off. ‘ Y ou will not ! 
— then take that and levelling at me the pistol which 
I had just given, he fired. The ball just grazed my 
side, but did no further mischief. 

‘ The poor wretch is delirious with fear,’ observed 
my father, when he found that I was uninjured. ‘ Let 
us ride on.’ 

On we rode, but though we made some progress, the 
oasis was still in appearance as far off as when first seen. 
The sun was sinking rapidly — ^it reached the horizon — 
it disappeared; the short twilight changed into the 
obscurity of night ; and the beacon by which we had 
hitherto directed our course was no longer to be seen. 
The stars, however, shone brightly forth ; and I had 
marked one which appeared just above the clump of 
trees. By that we now steered, though, I had too soon 
strong proof, the instinct of our horses would have led 
them towards the oasis without our guidance. Al- 
though it was night, the heat was intense ; our throats 
were dry, our lips were parched, and we were experi- 
encing all the terrible sensations of intolerable thirst. 
We had kept the remnant of the water for a last re- 
source, in case we should not reach the fountain. 

I think that for nearly another hour we had ridden 
on, my father not having spoken a word all that time, 
when to my horror, without any warning, he fell heavily 
from his horse. His hands had let go the reins, and 
the animal, relieved of his burden, set off towards the 


96 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


oasis. I threw myself from my horse. To lift him up 
and to pour some water down his throat was the work 
of a moment. It instantly restored him to conscious- 
ness. He appeared to have suffered no injury from hi& 
faU. While I was thus engaged, my horse escaped 
from me and set off after his companion. So engrossed^ 
however, was I in tending my father, that I scarcely 
noticed the occurrence. It was, of course, utterly 
hopeless to attempt to recover the animals, and thus 
were we two left in the middle of the desert without a 
prospect of escaping. 

O the horrors of that night ! They can never be 
obliterated from my memory. At first I thought of 
attempting to reach the oasis by walking; but my 
father, though having sufficient strength to sit up, and^ 
had he not lost his horse, to ride, felt himself utterly 
unable to accomplish the distance on foot. I had 
bitterly, indeed, to regret my momentary carelessness 
in allowing my horse to escape from me. It might have 
been the cause of my father’s and my destruction. I 
have often since thought, from being for one instant 
only off our guard, how much misery and ruin may 
occur — how much wickedness and suffering may ba 
the result ! 

The air was still very sultry, and even the sand, on 
which we rested, was very hot. Our last drop of water 
was consumed. My father did not know it, but I had 
given it to him. I had begun to suffer dreadfully from 
thirst. My throat seemed lined with a coating like the 
face of a file, and my lips were hard and cracked ; while 
the skin, from the drying effects of the sun, the wind, 
and the sand, was peeling off my face. My father did 
not feel so much pain as I did; but my strength, I 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 97 

fancied, had in no way failed me, and I thought that, 
if I had kept my horse, I could easily have walked by 
his side till we reached the fountain we expected to 
find. We sat for some time without speaking. The 
stars were shining in undimmed brilliancy above our 
heads from the dark blue sky; not a breath of air 
was stirring, not a sound was heard. I never endured 
a silence so profound, so solemn, and so painful. For 
a time I almost fancied that I had become deaf. At 
length my father’s voice, which sounded deep and hollow, 
convinced me of the contrary. 

‘ David,’ he said, ‘ I must not let you, my boy, re- 
main here to die. You may still be able during the 
night to reach the oasis, and the cool of the morning 
will bring you renewed strength. If you reach it in 
safety, you are certain to find our horses there, and you 
can return with them and the flasks full of water to me. 
I feel quite certain that I can hold out till then.’ 

I scarcely knew what to answer my father. Though 
I thought that I might possibly reach the oasis, I saw 
the great difficulty there would be in again finding him, 
without any means in that vast plain of marking his 
position ; and I felt far from confident that his strength 
would endure till my return. 

‘No, father,’ I answered; ‘I cannot leave you now. 
I should not find you again, so that my going would 
not preserve you ; and I will therefore stay and share 
your fate.’ 

I need not mention all the arguments my father used 
to persuade me to leave him, and how I entreated him 
to allow me to remain. At last he consented that I 
should stay with him till just before daybreak, which 
is in that, as in most climates, the coolest time generally 

G 


08 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

of the twenty-four hours. He then proposed that 1 
should plant my whip, with a piece of handkerchief 
tied to the end of it, on the top of the highest rock or 
piece of ground I should find near, to serve as a mark 
for .his position, should he not by that time have suffi- 
ciently recovered his strength to set out with me. 

‘ Perhaps I may be able to accompany you part of 
the way, and then you will have a less distance to re- 
turn to look for me,’ he observed. 

As he spoke, however, I could not help remarking, 
with grief, that there was a hollow tone in his voice 
which betokened failing strength, while his words were 
uttered with pain and difficulty. I could too well judge 
of his sensations by my own ; and gladly would I have 
given the room full of gold which the unfortunate Inca, 
Atahualpa, promised to the greedy Spaniards, for a 
flask of water to quench the burning thirst which was 
consuming us. 

Hour after hour passed away, as we sat side by side 
on the sand. We spoke but little; indeed I soon fell 
into a state of dreamy unconsciousness, which was not 
sleep, though at the same time I could not be said to 
be awake. All sorts of strange sights passed before 
me, and strange noises sounded in my ears, though I 
was sensible that they were not realities. I saw horses 
galloping before me, some with riders, and others wild 
steeds. with flowing manes. Troops of Indians came by 
in their feathers and gay dresses, and soldiers marched 
past with colours flying and bands playing; and hunters, 
and dogs, and animals of every description. Indeed 
there appeared no end to the phantom shapes which 
met my sight. 

In vain I endeavoured to arouse myself. A weight 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 


99 


I could not throw off pressed me to the ground. I 
cannot more particularly describe my sensations; I 
only know that they were very dreadful. I was aware 
that my father was near me, and that I wished to pre- 
serve him from some danger ; but I thought sometimes 
that we were at sea on a raft ; at others, that we were 
sliding down a snowy mountain, and that, though I 
tried to catch some of the snow in my hand to cool 
my tongue, it vanished before it reached my mouth; 
and then I felt that we were sinking into the earth, 
which, as we sunk, grew hotter and hotter, till it 
scorched my skin, and I shrieked out with the pain. 
I started and lifted up my head ; a pair of fierce glow- 
ing eyes met my view — a huge jaguar or tiger stood 
before me ! We eyed each other for a moment with a 
fixed gaze. I was more astonished than alarmed ; for 
owing to the state of stupor from which I had been 
aroused, I had not time to be aware of the peril in 
which we were placed. Fortunately, when I lay down, 
I had taken my pistol from my belt, and placed it by 
my side, ready to grasp it at a moment’s warning. My 
first impulse was to seize it; and while the jaguar still 
stood apparently considering whether he should spring 
upon me and carry me off to the mountains to serve 
him as a banquet, I lifted the weapon and fired it 
directly in his face. Startled by so unexpected a 
reception, instead of springing forward, he turned 
round with a roar of rage and pain, and galloped off 
across the desert. 

The report of the pistol aroused my father, who could 
scarcely believe what had occurred. I regretted not 
having been able to kill the brute ; for, driven to ex- 
tremity as we were, we should eagerly have drunk his 


100 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


blood to attempt to quench our thirst. I reloaded 
my pistol in the expectation of his return ; and grown 
desperate as I was, I almost hoped that he would do 
so, that I might have another chance of shooting him. 
The possibility of this served effectually to prevent me 
from again falling into a drowsy state, and I believe 
it was of essential service to me. 

Another risk now occurred to me. Though at pre- 
sent perfectly calm, the wind might suddenly arise, and 
should we fall asleep, the sand might be drifted over 
tis, and we should certainly be suffocated. No mariner, 
whose ship is drifting on an unknown lee- shore, ever 
more earnestly wished for daylight than I did for the 
appearance of dawn, though I was afraid it could but 
httle avail my poor father. 

At length a faint streak appeared in the sky. It was 
a sign that we must attempt to proceed on our way or 
abandon all hope of escape. I called to my father, 
whose eyes were closed. 

‘Yes, my boy,’ he answered, ‘I will come;’ but 
when he attempted to rise, I saw that his strength was 
not equal to the exertion. 

I felt also, when I tried, but little able to walk even 
by myself, much less to help him onward. Still the 
effort must be made. I got myself on my feet, and 
raised him also. We staggered onward in the direc- 
tion, I supposed, of the oasis. With a melancholy 
foreboding, however, I felt that at the pace we were 
going we should never be able to reach it. Still I 
resolved not to give in. Onward we went like two 
drunken men. Every instant I thought we should fall 
to rise no more. I was certain that if I quitted my 
father, it would only be to die apart from him, when 


THE DISASTERS WE ENCOUNTERED. 101 

deatli would be doubly bitter. I could no longer see 
the star which had before guided us. Either clouds 
had obscured it, or a mist had arisen, or my eyes were 
growing dim. My father was pressing more heavily 
on my arm. I tried to support him, but my strength 
was insufficient. In the attempt we both fell together. 
All hope abandoned me. 

‘0 God, protect my wife and children !’ murmured 
my father. 

I also tried to pray, but with difficulty I could col- 
lect my thoughts for a few moments together. I lifted 
myself on my knees by my father’s side, and raised his 
head from the sand. Daylight was now coming on, 
and with anguish I saw by the expression of his features 
that if aid was not speedily afforded, it would be too 
late to preserve his life. 


102 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CUIEP. 


CHAPTER YIT. 

HOPE REVIVES — LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND 
CHARACTERS. 

As a shipwrecked seaman, on the wild rock in the 
middle of the ocean, anxiously scans the horizon to 
search for a sail in sight, so did I cast my eager gaze 
over the barren sandy waste, to discover if providen- 
tially any succour was at hand. The shades of night 
melting away before the rays of the sun, the wished-for 
oasis appeared in the distance ; and by the marks on 
the sand, I could not doubt that we had been wander- 
ing away instead of approaching it. How eagerly I 
looked towards to spot where I believed the means 
of reviving our Mst-failing strength could be found ! 
As I gazed at it, it seemed to approach nearer, and 
tantalized me the more that I knew that I could not 
reach it. 

The sun rose slowly and majestically in the sky, and 
his burning rays began again to strike down upon our 
heads. Still I kept my senses ; but I felt that death 
must soon terminate my dear father’s sufferings, and 
mine as well. Once more I cast my glance round the 
horizon. I gazed steadily — I saw a dark object mov- 
ing in the distance. 0 how earnestly I watched it ! 
I could not be mistaken — it was approaching us. 
As it came on, I discerned the figure of a man on 


HOPE REVIVES. 


103 


horseback. He was leading another animal with a 
load on his back. How he seemed to be verging off 
to the right hand. He might pass and not observe 
us. I shouted; but it was folly to fancy that my 
feeble voice could reach him. Again he turned. I 
saw him dismount and stoop down on the sand. He 
stopped, however, but a minute, perhaps not so much, 
though to me it seemed an age, and he again mounted 
and came on. He was directing his course, I judged, 
for the oasis. As he came still nearer, I recognised 
[thulpo, and he was leading our baggage mule. I 
could not doubt, also, but that he was sear.-hing for 
us. Again I tried to shout, but my voice lailed me. 
I lifted up my hand and waved it above my lead; but 
I could no longer stand upright, or I sh uld have 
attracted his attention. He rode on. He h d already 
passed, when he turned his head and caugh . sight of 
the handkerchief I was waving in my h nd. He 
spurred on towards us. To spring from his horse, 
and to take one of the saddle-bags from th 3 back of 
the mule, was the work of a moment. From the saddle- 
bag he produced a skin of water. Without speaking, 
he poured out a cup, from which he allowed a few 
drops to fall into my father’s mouth. When once I 
felt it to my lips, I could not withdraw it till I had 
drained it to the bottom. The pure draught so much 
revived me that I could sit up and help Ithulpo to 
tend my father. This he did with .the greatest care ; 
but human care, alas ! seemed to be of little avail. He 
loosened his dress to admit of perfectly free circula- 
tion ; he then washed his mouth, and after bathing his 
temples, he allowed a few more drops to trickle down 
his throat. This judicious treatment had, after a time, 


104 BIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

the most beneficial effect. My father languidly opened 
his eyes, and attempted to sit up ; and I saw that his 
first act of consciousness was to turn them towards me 
with an inquiring glance. Finding that I was alive, 
his countenance brightened; and after slowly drink- 
ing some more water, in the course of three or four 
minutes he revived sufficiently to propose proceeding 
on our way. 

‘ Wait a little longer, Seuor,’ said Ithulpo. ‘ Water 
has restored you to life, but you require food to give 
you strength ; see, I have brought some.’ 

As he spoke, he opened a basket full of bread and 
dried meat, and several sorts of the most dehcious and 
cooling fruit. There were figs and grapes and pome- 
granates, fragrant chirimoyas, yellow bananas, and 
several pine-apples ; indeed many others too numerous 
to name. 

Never shall I forget the exquisite dehght with which 
I ate the first fig Ithulpo handed to me. It cooled my 
burning thirst more than all the water I had swallowed, 
and served both for meat and drink. It was a large 
soft fig with a white pulp. I instantly put out my 
hand for another, and he gave me a black fig with a 
red pulp, which vied with the first in excellence. Then 
he handed me a bunch of juicy grapes, but I still asked 
for more figs ; and when I had finished as many as he 
thought were good for me, he tore open a chirimoya, 
and let me eat its snow-white juicy fruit. Outside it 
did not look tempting, for the skin, though green, was 
tough and hard, and covered with black spots. The 
platanos or bananas were cooked ; and though I could 
not have swallowed a piece of dry bread, I was en- 
abled to eat some of them with much relish. Alto 


HOPE REVIVES. 


105 


getter, never was a repast eaten with greater appetite, 
or, I may add, with more gratitude ; for it certainly 
was the means of preserving my father’s life as well as 
mine. Ithulpo had taken the precaution to tether the 
animals, so that they could not escape ; and as he sat 
by us, distributing the food, he informed us of what 
he had done after we had lost sight of him in the sand- 
storm. 

‘You must know, Sehores,’ he began, ‘I was so 
Dusy in hberating my poor countrymen from the ropes 
which bound them, that I did not observe which way 
you were taking. I shouted after you to turn back, 
but you did not hear me ; and then the dreadful sand- 
cloud came on, and it was too late. I am well ac- 
quainted with this dreadful desert, and I was aware 
that we were out of the right path ; but I also knew 
where that path was ; so, as soon as all the poor fellows 
were free, we set off towards it. They were all well 
able to run without the ropes, and out of sight of our 
tyrants. Fortunately the sand-cloud wheeled round 
before it reached us, and we were safe. 

‘You must know that on the previous night I had 
stowed away the wine-skins full of water in your port- 
manteaus, and I thus had enough to give a good 
draught to each of the men, and to my beasts also. 
Our first care was then to get out of the desert. I 
knew where the ground was hard, so I led them to it, 
and we then could travel at a fast rate. About a 
league beyond where we were, there is a fountain of 
pure water gushing up out of a hard black rock. 
Here we were all able to refresh ourselves ; and still a 
little farther on, marks are to be seen, by which I could 
direct my companions how to escape from the desert. 


106 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

They quickly availed themselves of my advice, and are 
now on their way to hide themselves among the moun- 
tains, where there is no fear of the Spaniards searching 
for them.’ 

‘ But what did you do, my friend ? ’ I asked, stretch- 
ing out my hand for another bunch of tempting grapes. 

‘ Just as I was parting from them I saw a party of 
fruit- sellers crossing the desert, with several mules laden 
with fruit.* I purchased some, as also some bread and 
baked platanos, and then set off to search for you. I 
knew, by the feel of the atmosphere, that there would 
be no more sand-storms ; and hoped, it you had escaped 
that 'of yesterday, to find you. I know my way across 
any part of the desert blindfold, for I can tell by the 
smell of the sand alone where animals have before 
passed. As soon as it was daylight I returned to 
where I last had seen you. I saw where the sand- 
cloud had settled down, forming huge mounds, beneath 
which many of the Spaniards, I found, lay overwhelmed 
At last I fell in with the tracks of your two horses. I 
guessed they were yours, for I thought the Spaniards 
would have kept together. I followed them up steadily. 
I came to where you had found the Spanish officer, and 
given him a pistol with which to defend himself.’ 

‘What, did he ted you so?’ I asked, inteiTupling 
Ithulpo. 

‘Oh no ; his voice has ceased for ever,’ he replied, 
with a dark smile. ‘ He had been dead some time, and 
the fowls of the air were feeding on him ; but I knew 
him by his dress, and I recognised your pistol, which 
he had fired. Here it is. I next reached the spot 
where you dismounted, and your horses had run away. 
I began to fear that I was too late to save you ; and 


HOPE REVIVES, 


107 


when following up the track of your footsteps, I saw 
that a number of the Spanish cavalry had escaped, 
and had gone towards yonder clump of trees. Several 
have fallen in the way, as the wings of the condors I 
could see flapping above the ground, one beyond the 
other, told me plainly. And now, Seuores, it is time 
to mount and proceed. Two hours* riding beyond 
those trees will carry us free of the desert ; and may 
you never again enter it without a proper guide.’ 

My father rode Ithulpo’s horse ; and while I clam- 
bered upon the back of the baggage-mule, he walked. 
It was almost as hot as on the previous day ; but I 
kept my mouth cool by occasionally eating a grape, 
and sometimes one of my favourite figs; and with 
little suffering w^e drew near the oasis. 

‘ Are you not afraid of falling into the hands of the 
Spaniards, and of being accused of liberating their 
prisoners ? ’ I asked. 

He looked up, and, smiling significantly, answered, 
‘ I tell you, Seiior, not one of our enemies live to beat 
false witness against us. I have marked among yonder 
trees signs not to be mistaken of their fate.’ 

I asked no further 'questions. We passed, as we 
rode along, several bodies of horses and men ; and as 
we approached the trees, Ithulpo shouting with all his 
might, several condors rose slowly on the wing, and a 
huge tiger stalked slowly away, looking round every 
now and then at us with an angry glance, for having 
disturbed him at his repast. I thought I recognised 
him as the monster who had paid us a visit during the 
night ; and I have no doubt that he was the same. 

I can scarcely describe the dreadful scene which met 
our sight as we at length reached the longed-for oasis. 


108 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

In the centre existed a small shallow pool, filled by a 
stream which bubbled up through the earth. It would 
allow scarcely more than a dozen horses to drink there- 
in at a time. We at once perceived what had occurred. 
The survivors of the cavalry had reached it in a body. 
Some of the front ranks, both horses and men, overcome 
by weakness, had, in their attempt to drink, fallen in, 
and prevented the others from getting their mouths to 
it. The first lay trampled on and drowned, making 
the once clear pool a mass of mud and filth. The rear 
ranks, rushing over them, had died of raging thirst, 
in sight of the water which might have saved them. 
Both men and horses were mingled in a dreadful heap, 
torn and mangled by the birds and beasts of prey. We 
crossed as rapidly as we could to the other side of the 
oasis, where Ithulpo produced a skin full of clear water 
from one of the saddle-bags. 

‘We must not disappoint our poor beasts,’ he ob- 
served, as he gave them to drink. 

Just then the horse my father rode gave a neigh. 
It was answered from a distance ; and to our no little 
satisfaction and astonishment, our two horses were 
seen trotting up towards the oasis. They had evidently 
been prevented taking shelter in the oasis by the pre- 
sence of the tiger, but had kept in the neighbourhood, 
in the hopes of his taking his departure. Ithulpo 
at once enticed them to him by the offer of water, 
which they drank eagerly ; and having secured them, 
after allowing them to crop a little of the grass which 
grew beneath the shade of the trees, we mounted, and 
prepared to recommence our journey. As we left the 
now polluted oasis, Ithulpo looked carefully round to 
examine the traces on the sand, and declared that 


LIMA AND rrs SCENES AND CHARACTEKS. 100 

of all those who had reached the spot, not one had 
left it. 

‘A just vengeance has overtaken the tyrants who 
yesterday so cruelly ill-treated us, Seuores,’ he re- 
marked. ‘I knew it would be so. We may now, 
without fear, proceed to Lima.* 

In two hours we reached the confines of the desert, 
and once more got among streams, and trees, and 
cultivated fields. We slept that night at an Indian 
village, where Ithulpo’s influence procured us a warm 
reception ; and after a rest of two days, we proceeded 
on our journey to Lima. As we rode along a fine 
straight road, shaded by an avenue of lofty willows, 
peculiarly grateful in a hot climate, we at length came 
in sight of the steeples and domes of the far-famed city 
of Lima, with the blue ocean on one side of us, and the 
interminable ranges of the snowy Cordilleras reaching 
to the sky on the other. 

‘What a magnificent city!* I exclaimed. ‘Well 
worthy, indeed, does it appear of its great founder, 
the conqueror Pizarro.* 

‘Wait till we get within the walls before you pro- 
nounce an opinion,* remarked my father. ‘ Like the 
deeds of the founder, it gains more admiration when 
observed at a distance than when examined closely. 
We admire Pizarro when we regard alone the won- 
derful conquest he achieved; but when we learn the 
wrongs, the injustice, the misery he inflicted, the 
blood he spilled, and the ruin he caused, he and his 
companions appear monsters of iniquity, worthy of 
detestation rather than admiration.* 

We entered the city by a handsome gateway, and 
immediately found ourselves in a long street, with low, 


110 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

mean, ruinous houses on either side. The houses had 
porches in front, and patios or court-yards. The shops 
were small, with their goods placed on tables at the 
doors ; there was no glass to the windows, and no dis- 
play of articles of commerce. The street was badly 
paved, though there was a rough footway on each side. 
The walls of many of the houses were composed of 
double rows of bamboo, but some were of brick ; the 
roofs were flat, and very few of the houses had two 
stories. As we rode on, however, the appearance of 
the place improved; and in and near the principal 
square I observed some fine buildings, with hand- 
somely ornamented faqades^ and many fine churches 
and convents ; but altogether I had to own that the 
outside beauty was sadly deceptive. 

The streets were crowded with persons of every 
variety of costume, and every hue of skin ; from the 
people of Northern Europe, and the bright-complexioned 
native of Biscay, to the red Indian and the jet-black 
African. Some were on horseback, and others in car- 
riages of very clumsy and antique construction ; and of 
the lower order, some were riding on mules and donkeys, 
and others were driving animals laden with ice from the 
mountains, skins of brandy, and fruits and provisions 
of every description. Among this motley crowd we 
forced our way, till we reached the house of my father’s 
agent, a Spanish merchant, Don Jose Torres de San- 
tillan by name, a very honest and good man. 

As the plan of his house was similar to that of most 
of the larger dwellings in Lima, I will describe it. In 
what may be called the front of the house were two 
doors ; one, the azaguan^ was the chief entrance, and 
the other led to the coach-house. By the side of the 


LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND CIIAEACTERS. Ill 


azaguan was a small room with a grated window, where 
the ladies of the family were fond of sitting to observe 
the passers-by. This building formed the street side 
of a spacious court-yard or patio^ on either side of 
which were a number of small rooms, and on the 
farther side was the dwelling-house, round which ran 
a balcony. In it were numerous doors ; the largest 
opened into the sala or hall, which was furnished with 
several net hammocks, a row of chairs, and two sofas ; 
while straw-matting covered the floor. Inside of it was 
a smaller well-furnished room, called the quadro^ which 
was the usual reception-room ; and beyond it were the 
dining and sleeping rooms, and the nursery. They all 
opened into an inner court-yard, the walls of which 
were ornamented with fresco paintings ; and part of it 
was laid out as a flower-garden, with a fountain in 
the centre. From it one door led to the kitchen, and 
another to the stable. The windows were mostly in 
the roof, as were- those in Pompeii and many ancient 
cities ; indeed it was very similar to the plan of build- 
ing followed in the south of Spain. 

On hearing of our arrival, Don Jose hurried out and 
received us with the greatest attention. Our animals 
were led off to the stables by a number of servants, 
and we were conducted to the quadro^ where he instantly 
ordered refreshments to be brought. We begged leave 
in the mean time to be allowed to change our dusty 
dresses. On our return we found hammocks slung, in 
w^hich our host invited us to rest ourselves. In a hot 
climate there cannot be a more luxurious couch than a 
net hammock, as it allows the air to circulate freely 
round the body in the coolest part of the room. The 
softly-stuffed sofa of an English or French drawing- 


112 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


room would be insufferable. A young negress slave 
then brought in a tray with cups, into which she poured 
out some chocolate, making it froth up till they over- 
flowed, and then handed them round to us. Cigars 
were next offered to us, and we smoked them till supper- 
time. 

For this meal we adjourned to the dining-room, 
where our host insisted on waiting on us. It was a 
repetition of dinner, which the family had taken accord- 
ing to custom at two o’clock. The wife of Don Jose, 
and her maiden sister and three daughters, pretty, pale- 
faced, black-eyed girls, with hair like the raven’s wing, 
were present, as were the family priest and two gentle- 
men, cousins of our host. We first had an insipid kind 
of soup, and then their principal dish, called puchero. 
It contained all sorts of meats and vegetables mixed 
up together — beef, pork, ham, bacon, sausage, poultry, 
cabbage, yuccas camotes (a sort of potato), potatoes, 
rice, peas, chochitas (grains of maize), quince, and 
banana. The meat was brought in on one dish and 
the vegetables on another, and they were afterwards 
mixed to suit our individual tastes. 

At the same time a dish of picante was served. It 
was composed of dried meat and some pounded roots, 
highly seasoned with cayenne pepper, and coloured with 
grains of the achote^ which gave it a brilliant vermilion 
tint. After the meat, a sort of pudding was brought 
in, consisting of a great variety of fruits stewed in 
water, — a dish I cannot praise ; and then followed a 
dessert of delicious fresh fruits and sweet cakes, which 
were washed down by a tumbler of fresh water. Such 
is the usual dinner of a gentleman’s family in Lima. 
A little light sweet wine was the only liquor drunk, 


LIMA Am) ITS SCENES AND CHARACTERS. 113 

though in compliment to the supposed taste of our 
countrymen, strong wine, brandy, and other spirits 
were placed before us. After dinner the servant 
brought in a piece of lighted charcoal and a tray of 
cigars, which the men and the elder ladies smoked with 
much apparent relish ; but my three fair friends de- 
clined using them. 

I soon became perfectly intimate with these young 
ladies. They were troubled with no tiresome bashful- 
ness to keep them silent, and they were full of life and 
spirits ; so we rattled away in conversation in the most 
agreeable manner, till it was announced that some 
guests had arrived, and were waiting in the sala to 
commence dancing. Musicians appeared, and, with 
much spirit, boleros, fandangos, and cachuchas, and 
other dances, well known in Old Spain, were com- 
menced and kept up for some hours. As we were in 
the height of the amusement, the cathedral bell struck 
three slow measured sounds, the signal of the Oracion. 
It was repeated by the belfries of all the churches in 
the city. Instantly, as if by magic, every movement 
was suspended. Each one said the evening prayer in 
a low whisper, and then made the sign of the cross ; 
those of most consequence turning to the persons near 
them, uttering the words hienas noches (good night), 
which was repeated by all present. It is a simple but 
beautiful custom, and is intended to remind people of 
their duty to God in whatever occupation they may be 
engaged. It may often do good; but unless people 
are possessed of the true spirit of piety, custom will 
make them callous, and it will fail to have any bene- 
ficial effect. 

I have observed this custom in many other Roman 

H 


114 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

Catholic countries. In a public place full of people of 
different ranks, the effect is still more curious. The 
lively conversation of the smart lady and the gallant 
cavalier is cut short, the donkey-driver with uplifted 
arm ceases to belabour his beast, the oath dies on the 
lips of the rough seaman or uncouth black, the work- 
man drops his tool, the shopman lays down his measure, 
children refrain from their play, men quarrelling suspend 
their dispute, lazy monks engaged in their constant game 
of draughts neglect to make the intended move, vendors 
of fruit no longer utter their cries, and one and all 
engage in silent prayer till the bell has ceased to toll, 
and then in a moment the noise and bustle of active life 
once more goes on. 

When I retired to my room for the night, not a little 
tired with my exertion, Ithulpo made his appearance. 

‘ How long, Senor, may I ask, does your father pur- 
pose remaining here ? ’ 

‘ Some short time ; a week or two perhaps,’ I replied, 
rather surprised at his question. 

He went to the door and looked cautiously out, and 
then, speaking almost in a whisper, as if he were afraid 
the walls might convey the intelligence, he said, — 

‘You have a mother and sisters and young brothers 
at your home in the mountains. As you love them, 
press your father not to remain here longer than you 
can help. Two or three days at furthest is all you 
should take, and then by travelling fast we may arrive 
in time. My orders are to accompany you to your 
home ; but I tell you that it shortly will no longer be a 
place of safety for you or those you love. More I may 
not say.’ 

‘You have already been of infinite service to us, 


LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND CHARACTERS. 115 

Ithulpo ; and I know that you would not, without 
good reason, alarm us ; but cannot you tell me more 
particularly what sort of danger we have to appre- 
hend ? * I asked. 

He shook his head as he answered, — 

‘Indeed, Seuor, I cannot; and you must caution your 
father not to give a hint to any one of what I have said, 
or the worst consequences may follow. I rely on your 
discretion.’ 

I promised to be cautious, and Ithulpo, saying that 
he would call me at an early hour as I desired, left me. 
Tired as I was, I could not for a long time go to sleep, 
but continued thinking of what Ithulpo had told me, 
and trying to discover to what he alluded. I heard my 
father enter his room, which was next to mine, but I 
would not run the risk of depriving him of his night’s 
rest by telling him of what I had heard. 

As my object is not only to describe my own per- 
sonal adventures, but to present my readers with a 
picture of Peru as it was at the time I speak of, I 
will now give a short description of Lima, the capital. 
Lima stands on the river Rimac^ from a corruption of 
which word its name is derived. The valley through 
which the river runs is called by the Indians Rimac 
Malca, or the place of witches ; from the custom they 
had formerly of banishing there persons accused of 
witchcraft. The city was founded by Pizarro soon 
after the conquest. He there built a palace for him- 
self, in which he was assassinated by Almagro. He 
called his beloved Lima, La Ciudad de los Reyes, 
from its being founded on the day of the Epiphany. 
I always think of Pizarro with much more satisfaction 
T/hen I contemplate him engaged in the peaceful occu- 


116 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

pation of laying out the city, and superintending the 
labours of the workmen, than when I regard him as 
the blood-stained conqueror of a race who had given 
him no cause of offence. He laid the foundation of 
the city on the 8th of January 1534, and was murdered 
on the 26th of June 1541. 

Besides the river Kimac, which runs through the city, 
there are a number of small streams, which add much 
to the cleanliness of the streets, and serve to irrigate 
the gardens, and to feed the fountains and canals which 
adorn them. The ground on which it stands slopes 
towards the sea ; the great square, or 'plaza mayor^ near 
the centre, being about four hundred and eighty feet 
above its level. 

The climate is agreeable, as the heat is seldom very 
excessive ; but as there are several marshes and swampy 
places in the vicinity, fevers and agues are common. In 
summer a canopy of clouds hangs over it, which miti- 
gates the heat of the sun; but rain very seldom falls 
throughout the year. Earthquakes occur nearly every 
year, and some have caused most devastating effects. 

Lima is about two miles long from east to west, 
and a mile and a quarter broad. The streets are all 
straight, and about twenty-five feet wide, and there 
are no less than one liundred and fifty-seven quadras or 
open spaces. It is enclosed by walls built of adoles, 
sun-dried bricks made of clay and chopped straw. 
These bricks are considered better calculated than 
stone to resist the shocks of earthquakes. The walls 
are about twelve feet high and ten thick at the bottom, 
narrowing to eight at the top, with a parapet of three 
feet on the outer edge. It is flanked by thirty-four 
bastions, and has seven gates and three posterns. On 


LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND CIIAKACTERS. 117 

the south-east is the citadel of Santa Catalina, with 
small guns mounted on it. Across the Rimac is a 
bridge of stone with fine arches, leading to the suburb 
of San Lazaro. This bridge is the favourite evening 
resort of the citizens. There are a number of churches, 
with handsome fronts of stone, and lofty steeples, which 
must be strongly built not to be overthrown by the 
earthquakes. 

Lima contained about 80,000 inhabitants, of whom 
20,000 were whites, and the rest negroes, Indians, and 
various half-castes. There were sixty-three noblemen 
who enjoyed the title of count or marquis, and about 
forty who were noble without titles. The Spaniards 
considered themselves belonging to a race of beings 
far above the native Indians, or even the creoles ; and 
would much more readily give their daughters in mar- 
riage to a poor countryman of their own than to a rich 
American-born person. The people of Lima are much 
addicted to gambling, especially the higher orders ; but 
public gambling-houses are not allowed. The white 
inhabitants have sallow complexions, with little or no 
colour on their cheeks. The ladies have generally in- 
teresting countenances, with good eyes and teeth, and a 
profusion of black hair. The walking-dress of females 
of all ranks is the saija y manto. The saya consists of 
a petticoat of velvet, satin, or stuff, generally black or 
of a cinnamon tint, plaited in very small folds. It sits 
close to the body, and shows the shape to advantage. 
At the bottom it is so narrow that the wearer can only 
make very short steps. The skirt is ornamented with 
lace, fringe, spangles, or artificial flowers. The ladies 
of higher rank wear it of various colours, purple, pale 
blue, lead colour, or striped. The manto is a hood of 


1 18 MAlsCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

thin black silk, dravm round the waist and then carried 
over the head. By closing it before, they can hide the 
face, one eye alone being visible, or sometimes they 
show only half the face. A gay shawl thrown over 
the shoulders and appearing in front, a rosary in the 
hand, silk stockings, and satin shoes, complete the 
costume. It seems intended to serve the purpose of a 
domino, as the wearer can thus completely conceal her 
features. At the present day, however, the European 
costume has been generally adopted. They delight in 
possessing a quantity of jewellery ; but they appear to 
be still fonder of perfumes and sweet-scented flowers, 
and spare no expense in procuring them. 

The Indians who reside in Lima endeavour to imitate 
the Spanish creoles in dress and manners. They are 
chiefly engaged in making gold and silver lace, and 
other delicate gold work ; while some are tailors and 
vendors of fruit, flowers, and vegetables. 

The African Negroes are numerous, and, though 
slaves, are well treated by their masters. Those of the 
same tribe or nation find each other out, and form a 
sort of club or association, called a Confradia. They 
generally hold their meetings in the suburbs on a Sun- 
day afternoon. At the time I speak of, there was an 
old slave- woman who had lived in a family for nearly 
fifty years, and who was the acknowledged queen of the 
Mandingoes. She was called Mama Rosa ; and I re- 
member seeing her seated at the porch of her master’s 
house, when a number of her black subjects who were 
passing knelt before her, and kissing her hand in a true 
loyal fashion, asked her blessing. Her mistress had 
given her a silver sceptre, and the young ladies of the 
family would lend her jewels, artificial flowers, and 


LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND CHARACTERS. 119 

other ornaments; bedecked in which, on certain days, 
she would be carried off by her subjects in great state, 
her sceptre borne before her, to the house of the Con- 
fradia, where a throne was prepared to receive her. 
Here she held a regular court, when as much respect 
was shown her as to any sovereign in Europe. I shall 
have to speak of her again. 

The next morning at an early hour Ithulpo called 
me, and accompanied me through the city. On my 
return I took an opportunity of telling my father what 
I had heard. He treated the subject lightly, observ- 
ing that the Indians were very fanciful ; at the same 
time, that he was anxious to return home as soon as he 
could arrange the affairs for which he had visited Lima. 
How^ever I observed the following day, either from some 
information he had received, or from something Ithulpo 
had said to him, that he had begun to think more 
seriously of the matter, and he desired me to make 
preparations for our departure. 

While strolling out in the afternoon, I happened to 
pass the abode of Mama Rosa, the black queen of the 
Mandingoes. A large crowd of negroes were assembled 
before the door, decked in all the finery they could com- 
mand. They wore 'garments of all fashions and of 
every gay-coloured hue imaginable — the women with 
wreaths of flowers round their heads, and necklaces of 
coral and beads on their necks and arms. There were 
silk coats a century old, and round jackets, and shirts, 
blue, red, yellow, and white ; and naval and mifitary 
uniforms curiously altered to suit the taste of the 
wearer — not an uncommon mode of wearing trousers 
being round the neck instead of on the legs, with the 
upper part hanging down the back, and the lower on 


120 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


either side in front like a shawl. Some acted the part 
of guards of honour, and others appeared as ministers 
of state. A select body bore a sort of palanquin or 
litter, which they placed before the door till Mama 
Rosa descended into the street, when she was conducted 
with great ceremony to her seat in it. She was very 
old and ugly ; but her subjects did not love her the 
less for that. Her dress was resplendent with flowers 
and jewels, and all the ornaments she could hang about 
herself. 

A band was in attendance, the instruments of which 
were somewhat curious. The most important was a 
drum, made of a section of the trunk of a tree, with the 
skin of a kid drawn over one end. Another was a bow, 
the string being of catgut, which was struck with a 
small cane. A third was the jaw-bone of an ass with 
the teeth loose in the socket, and which, when struck 
by the hand, made a capital rattle. If there was not 
much harmony in the music, there was plenty of noise, 
which was not a little increased by the voices of a party 
of singers, who frisked about before the sovereign’s state 
carriage as she advanced. The sceptre-bearer stepped 
out with her majesty’s insignia of office in his arms, 
looking back as he did so to ascertain that the queen 
was following. Her people shouted, the palanquin- 
bearers moved on, the band struck up a negro sort of 
‘ God save the Queen,’ and away they all went towards 
the quarters of the Confradia. I followed to see the 
end of the ceremony. After passing through a number 
of narrow and somewhat dirty streets, with the houses 
built of bamboo and mud, we reached the palace, for 
so I may call it. The hall was of good size, and the 
walls were ornamented with what I suppose were in- 


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LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND CHARACTERS. 121 

tended for likenesses of other sable monarchs. If they 
were correct, I am compelled to own that the royal 
Rosa’s predecessors, both ladies and gentlemen, were a 
very ugly set of personages. The band played louder, 
and the people shouted more vehemently, as her majesty 
ascended the throne at the end of the hall. She seemed 
perfectly at home, and sat down with right royal 
dignity. 

The sceptre-bearer presented the sceptre. She seized 
it in her right hand and waved it around to command 
silence. Her ministers of state formed on either side 
of the throne, and doffed their cocked hats, or straw 
hats, or hats with three corners, or their red caps, or 
whatever covering adorned their heads. She then made 
them a speech, which I have no doubt was much more 
original than the Queen’s speech in England, but as I 
did not know a word of the Mandingo language, I was 
not much the wiser for it. When it was concluded, 
her Chancellor of the Exchequer made a report of the 
financial condition of her kingdom, while her Home 
Secretary described the good behaviour of her subjects, 
and her Minister for Foreign Affairs assured her that 
she was on good terms with all her neighbours. This 
part of the business being concluded, they squatted 
down about the throne, and filling their pipes with 
tobacco, began to smoke ; while her other subjects, one 
by one, stepped forward, and dropping on both knees, 
each one gave her hand a kiss, not bashfully as if they 
were afraid of it, but with a hearty smack, which 
sounded through the hall. Her ancient majesty in re- 
turn bestowed a blessing on them, and told them all to 
behave well ; and especially to be contented with their 
lot, if their masters and mistresses treated them kindly. 


122 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

After the speech, all the people shouted, and the 
musicians struck up a magnificent flourish with the 
drums, and the bows, and the jaw-bones of the asses ; 
and if there was not much harmony, there was a great 
deal of enthusiasm. Several slaves then stepped for- 
ward, and preferred complaints against their masters 
for ill-treatment. 

The Queen listened to them attentively, and I thought 
seemed to judge their cases very judiciously. To some 
she replied, that it was through their own neglect of 
their duty that they had been punished. Others she 
advised to bear their ill-treatment patiently, and to 
endeavour, by zeal and attention to the wishes of their 
masters, to soften their tempers, and to gain their good- 
will ; but there were two or three who had been treated 
so barbarously and unjustly, that she promised them 
that the Confradia should make every effort to pur- 
chase their freedom. 

‘You shall be freed,’ she observed; ‘but remember 
you will have to work as hard as you have ever before 
done, to repay the Confradia the money they have 
advanced for your emancipation.’ 

These were not exactly her words, but what she said 
was to this effect. 

The serious business of the day being over, the 
negroes and negresses set to work to dance ; and 
though I cannot speak much of the grace they exhi- 
bited, I never saw any human beings frisk and jump 
about with so much agility. Who would have thought 
they were for the most part slaves, groaning under 
their chains ? Never did dancers enter more thoroughly 
into the spirit of dancing. The black beaus did not 
waste their time in talking or doing the amiable to their 


LIMA AND ITS SCENES AND CHARACTERS. 123 

sab!e partners ; nor did the latter seem to expect any 
such attention — they came to dance, and their great 
aim seemed to be to get through as much of it as the 
time would allow. As I looked on I could scarcely 
refrain from rushing into the sable throng, and joining 
them in their frisks and jumps ; though I dare say, had 
I done so, they would have considered me a very con- 
temptible performer. At length the Queen’s chamber- 
lain clapped his hands, and gave notice that the court 
must break up, as her majesty was desirous of re- 
tiring to attend to her duties in putting to bed the 
children of her mistress to whom she was nurse. The 
bearers of her palanquin came forward, the Queen 
stepped into it, the sceptre-bearer marched before it, 
the band struck up their loudest tune, the people 
shouted till they were hoarse, and the procession re- 
turned in due state to old Mama Rosa’s abode ; where, 
like Cinderella when the clock had struck twelve, she 
was again converted into the old negro nurse. 

I give but a very brief account of our return journey, 
which commenced the next day, just in time to avoid 
the ill effects of an earthquake which gave Lima a 
fearful shaking, we being, when it took place, in the 
open country. For the latter part of our journey we 
rode on in perfect silence. Ithulpo seemed as well 
acquainted with the road as I was. By degrees the 
valley opened out, and the white walls of our house 
became visible. With beating hearts we ascended the 
mountain. We reached the court-yard and leaped 
from our horses. Well-known voices greeted us. My 
mother rushed out, my brothers and sisters followed. 
All, though becoming very anxious for our return, were 
well and in safety. Jose had returned just before, but 


124 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

nothing would induce him to say what had occurred to 
him. He asserted that he had been left behind by us 
from his own wish, through illness, and that he was 
only just sufficiently recovered to perform the journey 
home. Ithulpo declared his intention of remaining three 
or four days, till he could hear from his chief what he 
was to do ; and of course, after the service he had ren- 
dered us, my father allowed him to act as he thought 
fit. I have now to describe some of the more eventful 
portions of my narrative. 


OUR HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 


125 


CHAPTER YIII. 

OUR HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 

Mr readers must endeavour to remember the descrip- 
tion I gave of the situation of our house, at the com- 
mencement of my work. We were all seated in the 
same room in which the fugitive Manco first appeared to 
us. Our early dinner was just over ; and though we did 
not indulge in the Spanish custom of the siesta^ it was a 
time that we generally refrained from active exertion, 
and employed it in reading or some sedentary occupa- 
tion. I had just laid down my book, and was looking 
out of the window down the valley, when on the lower 
country beyond, an unusual glitter of something which 
seemed to be moving along the road attracted my eye. 
I watched it attentively. Now the glittering object, 
which appeared in a long thin line, rose, and now it 
fell, as it wound its way over the uneven ground. At 
length I called my father’s attention to it. As soon as 
he saw it, his more practised eye knew what it was. 

‘ A body of troops ! ’ he exclaimed. ‘ They are 
marching in this direction, and are probably bound 
across the mountain.’ 

We all now engaged in watching the advance of the 
soldiers, on whose bayonets the sun shining had first 
drawn my attention ; and many were the surmises as to 
the reason of their coming to our remote locality. On 
they came, growing more and more distinct. Fii’st 


126 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

a dark mass appeared below tbe sliining steel ; then 
we perceived that it was composed of human beings, 
though still mingled together in a dense body. Next 
their banners and several officers on horseback were 
seen ; and soon we could distinguish the hats and cross 
belts, and the colour of the uniform of the advanced 
guard. They were marching as rapidly as the natnre 
of the ground would allow. 

My father’s military ardour was aroused at the sight. 
He seized his hat and rushed out to a spot beyond the 
walls, whence he could command a clear view both up 
and down the valley. I followed him, and we stood 
together on the knoll watching the advancing troops. 
What was our surprise, however, to find, that instead 
of proceeding along the road over the mountains, the 
advanced guard began to mount the path leading to 
the height on which our house stood ! At the same 
instant, happening to turn my head, towards the moun- 
tain, I saw descending it, at a rapid pace, a person 
whom I recognised as Ithulpo. He rushed on, leaping 
from rock to rock at the risk of instant destruction. 
Nothing served to impede his course. Life and death 
depended on him. He had discovered the soldiers. 
For an instant he stopped, as if to consider whether he 
could reach us before they did. Then on again he 
came as fast as before. He was almost breathless 
when he arrived. 

^Call in all the people, and shut the gates and 
doors ! ’ he exclaimed, panting as he spoke. ‘ The 
soldiers will destroy you all without mercy if they once 
gain an entrance. Hold out but a short hour or less, 
and a force will be here which will drive back our 
enemies to the sea.’ 


OUK HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 127 

My father, astounded at what he heard, considered 
what was best to be done. The advanced guard was 
already nearly half way up the hill. If we attempted 
to block out the Spaniards, it would at once be 
acknowledging ourselves guilty of some crime ; but if 
we let them in, unless Ithulpo deceived us, we might 
be subjected to ill-treatment. At the utmost, with the 
few servants and some Indians who happened to be in 
the house, we could not hope to hold out many minutes 
against the formidable force now approaching. 

‘Do you hesitate?* exclaimed Ithulpo vehemently. 
‘ I tell you, Sehor, I speak the truth. Ah, there comes 
the army of the Inca ! Death to the tyrants of Peru.’ 

As he spoke, he pointed up the mountain, when I 
saw, winding among the rocks, a large body of Indians. 
Every instant others appeared, till the surrounding 
heights and the whole gorge, through which the road 
wound, was covered with them. They rushed impetu- 
ously down the mountain side, a strong body making 
evidently for our house. The Spaniards, who had also 
discovered them, redoubled their efforts to climb the 
mountain, for the purpose, it was also very clear, of 
occupying the house before the Indians could reach it. 

The Indians were armed with firelocks of every sort 
and size, and of curious antique forms, hoarded up 
with jealous care by father and son for many a long 
year, to be ready for the days of retribution, which 
they hoped had now arrived. A large proportion, 
however, had only clubs and spears, and bows and 
arrows, and slings of the same description as those 
used by their ancestors when they first encountered 
the Spaniards. To counterbalance in a degree their 
deficiency, they had a few light mountain guns, carried 


128 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


on tlie backs of mules, engines of warfare which their 
enemies did not suspect them of possessing. 

Their costume also was equally a mixture of the 
ancient and modern. Some were dressed in skins, 
with their hair long, and the upper part of their 
bodies painted in many colours. These were some 
of the wild tribes from a distance, who had never 
been subdued. Others wore a sort of armour of 
leather or cotton, thickly padded, with shields of 
hides, and a profusion of feather ornaments; while 
most of those who carried firearms, and were from 
the more civilised districts, were clothed in garments 
of various coloured cottons, or had retained the ordi- 
nary dress of the present day. It must be understood 
that I learned most of these particulars afterwards, for 
they were still too far off for me to observe either their 
arms or dress. 

On they came with the most terrific shouts, such as 
I did not think them capable of uttering. It appeared 
as if they were giving vent to their feelings of hatred 
and revenge, pent up for centuries. My father stood 
for an instant watching the two advancing forces, and 
considering what course to pursue to preserve his 
family from the dangers of the conflict which it was 
evident would soon be raging around us. 

‘Into the house, David,’ he exclaimed; ‘Ithulpo’s 
advice must be followed. We will keep both parties 
out as long as we can.’ 

We were quickly inside the gates, and lost not a 
moment in calling the servants together, and in bolting 
and barring all the doors, and in putting up shutters 
to the windows. We found Ithulpo in the house. He 
said he had been ordered by his chief to remain with 


OUR HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 129 

US till we were in safety. My mother, whom he had 
warned of what was about to occur, though alarmed 
for the safety of her children, did not lose her presence 
of mind, but went round encouraging the servants to 
remain firm and obey their orders. Ithulpo hurried 
here and there, directing and aiding the other men in 
preparing for a defence should the house be attacked. 

In a few minutes all the arrangements which with 
the means at our disposal we could hope to make, were 
concluded ; and I had time to look out from a loophole 
in the side of the roof, to see how near the two parties 
had approached. I fii'st turned my eyes to the east- 
ward towards the mountains, where, to my surprise, I 
found that the Indians, instead of rushing on at once 
to meet their enemies, had drawn up in battle array, 
quietly watching their advance. Had they come on at 
once, their numbers alone, it appeared to me, would 
have overwhelmed the Spaniards. They held a posi- 
tion, however, from which it would, I saw, be impos- 
sible to dislodge them, and effectually blocked up the 
passage across the mountain. Their appearance was 
very picturesque, from the variety of their costumes, 
and the numberless banners under which each cacique 
had mustered his followers. Conspicuous among them 
was one which I recognised as that of the Incas, once 
more raised to meet the hereditary foes of their race. 
I next looked down the valley. The advanced guard 
of the Spaniards had just reached the brow of the hill, 
and would, I calculated, in three or four minutes be 
close to our gates. Under these circumstances, an 
attempt to prevent them from entering the house 
would, of course, be considered an act of open de- 
fiance of the authority of the Spanish Government, 


130 5IANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

which it would, I felt, be next to madness to make ; 
and I therefore hurried down from my post to tell my 
father how matters stood. 

‘We have but one course to pursue,’ he replied, 
when I told him what I had observed. ‘ I will trust 
to your courage and judgment, David ; I will stay to 
open our gates to the Spaniards, while you take charge 
of your mother and the children, and conduct them ' 
down by the secret passage which leads out at the 
side of the mountain. She has already packed up 
her jewels and the most portable valuables we possess. 
Go and prepare her to set out the moment the soldiers 
reach the gate. Collect some torches. Tell Ithulpo. 
He will accompany you, and protect you should you 
fall in with any straggling parties of Indians. I will 
endeavour to join you as soon as I can escape without 
being observed, which I very soon, I doubt not, shall 
have an opportunity of doing.’ 

‘ No, no, father, I will obey you in everything but 
that,’ I replied. ‘ Let me remain to receive the soldiers, 
while you escort my mother and brothers and sisters 
to a place of safety.’ 

I so earnestly argued the point, that at length my 
father saw that I was right; besides, as I observed, if 
the Spaniards accused us of siding with the rebels, I 
was much less likely, on account of my youth, to be 
ill-treated by them than he would be. 

Scarcely had he agreed to my wishes, than a loud 
knocking was heard at the gates. 

‘Heaven protect you, my boy!’ he exclaimed, as he 
hurried off to conduct my mother with the children 
and the females of the family down the secret passage. 

So unexpectedly had the events I have described 


OUK HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 


131 


occurred, and so occupied had we been, that there was 
no time for leave-taking, scarcely even to comprehend 
the full extent of the danger to which we were exposed. 
There had been no weeping or lamentation, or any other 
sign of alarm; for the women, all looking up to my 
mother, and seeing her so fearless, seemed only anxious 
to follow her directions. I watched them crowding 
after her to the door of the passage. Some carried 
the children, and others baskets of provisions, and light 
articles of value which she wished to preserve. My 
father led the way, and Ithulpo and Jose brought up 
the rear with a bundle of torches. 

As soon as they had disappeared, 1 ran towards the 
gates, calling on some of the remaining servants to assist 
me in opening them. Before, however, I had reached 
the gateway, the most terrific shouts and shrieks I 
had ever heard assailed my ears. I at once divined 
the cause. The Indians had at length understood the 
purpose of the Spaniards, and had made an advance 
to intercept them. The soldiers were now thundering 
at the gates, in an attempt to force them open, with 
the butt-ends of their muskets. On finding this, I 
naturally became alarmed, lest, as I withdrew the 
bars while they rushed in, they would trample me 
down, and perhaps kill me; yet I felt that it would 
be cowardly to expose others to a danger I was 
ready to avoid if I could. I therefore called on the 
servants to aid me in removing some of the stout bars 
and withdrawing the bolts, knowing that the people 
outside would quickly force open the rest. 

‘We are opening the gates, my friends,’ I shouted. 
‘ Quick, quick!’ 

Scarcely had the bars been removed than the gates 


132 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


began to give way. We leaped aside into a recess of 
tlie hall, and the soldiers rushed in, uttering loud im- 
precations on us for having so long delayed them. 
Had they seen us, I believe they would have knocked 
us on the head ; but fortunately they were in too great 
a hurry to take possession of the house to look for 
us. There were in all not more than a hundred men ; 
a small garrison for so extensive a range of buildings. 
The rest of the troops had, I found, advanced up the 
mountain, in an attempt to force the passage across it. 
From the strong array of Indians I had seen posted 
there, I considered that in this they would be disap- 
pointed. The first thing the soldiers did on entering 
the house, was to find then* way to that side facing the 
mountains. Some stationed themselves at the win- 
dows, through the shutters of which they forced holes 
to admit the muzzles of their muskets; while others 
took up a strong position in the court-yard, whence 
they could annoy the advancing enemy. Their hurried 
arrangements had scarcely been concluded, when the 
Indians in strong force rushed to the walls, uttering 
the most dreadful shouts of defiance and hatred. The 
Spaniards reserved their fire till they came close upon 
them. The word was given by the officer in command, 
and a volley was poured in upon them which proved 
fatal to many ; yet the rest came on undauntedly to the 
attack. I had intended to have followed my family inta 
the vaults, and I should have been wiser had I done 
SO; but a strong desire to see the fight, not unnatural 
to one of my age und temper, kept me back ; and havings 
escaped the observation of the soldiers, I had clambered 
up to the roof, where, through a small window, I could 
see all that was going forward. It was a post I very 


OUR HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 133 

soon found of considerable danger, for, when the Indians 
began to fire, the bullets came rattling about my head 
very thick. What had become of the Indian servants 
I could not tell ; but I concluded that they had wisely 
betaken themselves to the vaults, or to some other place 
of safety. 

I must observe that on either side the walls of the 
outbuildings and gardens extended across the hill to 
the summit of precipitous cliffs, so that the Indians 
could not get round to attack the house in the rear 
without clambering over these impediments. As, how- 
ever, the line was very extended, it required great 
activity and vigilance on the part of the Spaniards to 
defend it. Several parties, of ten or fifteen men each, 
were employed in continually moving about from place 
to place whenever any of the enemy showed a disposi- 
tion to scale the walls. The main attack of the Indians 
was, however, dmected against the house itself ; indeed 
it was only subsequently that any attempts were made 
at other points. The Indian chiefs showed the most 
undaunted bravery; and, though singled out by the 
Spaniards for destruction, they were always in the 
thickest of the fight, and exposed to the hottest fire. 
I looked in vain for my friend Manco ; and at first 
I was afraid that he might have been killed, till it 
occurred to me that he was probably with the main 
body of the army defending the mountain pass. 

I must now more particularly describe the scene as 
I beheld it from my lofty post. I could tolerably well 
tell what was going on inside, from the sounds which 
reached my ears. There was a gate in the east wall 
about the centre of the house, to force which the 
Indians in the first place directed their efforts. Un- 


134 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

daunted by tlie fire of the Spaniards, they brought up 
a sort of battering-ram, composed of the roughly- 
shaped trunk of a newly-felled tree, slung by ropes to 
men’s shoulders. They were led by a chief in the full 
war costume of the time of the Incas. Notwithstand- 
ing the showers of bullets flying round him, he remained 
unharmed, encouraging his followers by word and action 
to the assault. If one fell, his place was instantly sup- 
plied by another, till the battering-ram reached the 
gate. Several thundering blows were heard above the 
rattle of musketry, the shouts of the assailants, and the 
cries of the wounded, as the engine was set to work. 
The gate yielded to the blows, for it was old and de- 
cayed ; and the Indians rushed in. Several fell pierced 
by the pikes of the Spaniards who guarded it, but 
many others pressed on, and the soldiers were driven 
back. The court-yard was soon filled, and at length 
the Peruvians met the hereditary enemies of their race, 
face to face, in a struggle for life and death. The 
Spaniards who had been left to guard the walls of the 
garden rallied, and attempted in a compact body to 
enter the house by one of the side doors; but the Indians 
threw themselves in their way, and attacked them with 
a courage I scarcely expected to see exercised. They 
rushed in upon them, some seizing the muzzles of their 
muskets, while others cut at them with their axes, or 
pierced them with their spears. The Spaniards en- 
deavoured to preserve their discipline ; but they were 
at length broken and separated into parties of twos 
and threes, surrounded by Indians, who filled the entire 
court-yard, so that the combatants were now engaged 
in hand-to-hand fights, when it was evident that num- 
bers would gain the day. I had a strange longing, as 


OUR HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 135 

I witnessed the dreadful scene, to rush down and join 
the fight. My sympathies were, I own, with the In- 
dians ; but still I felt if I had thrown myself among 
them, I might have sided with the weaker party. I 
did not, however, attempt to move. The very action 
would have calied me to my senses, and reminded me 
of the folly of interference. A number of the Spaniards 
had fallen, and were instantly despatched and trampled 
on by the infuriated Indians. At last a few, by despe- 
rate efforts, again united, and fought their way up to 
the house ; when some of the garrison, who had been 
anxiously watching them, made a sortie by a side door, 
and succeeded in keeping the enemy at bay, while the 
greater number, desperately wounded, retired inside. 
For a minute, from the rush the Indians made towards 
the door, I thought that they had succeeded in entering 
at the same time, and I expected to hear the sounds of 
strife below me ; but the soldiers drove them back, and 
once more shut themselves in. 

Meantime the assault on the front of the house was 
going on vigorously. An attempt was made to bring 
the battering-ram into play ; but so many of the people 
working it were shot, that it was allowed to drop 
close to the wall. It served, however, as a sort of 
platform, from whence some of the Indians could 
throw their spears into the crevices of the windows, 
while others attempted to force them open with their 
clubs, and those armed- with muskets continued a hot 
fire from the walls, and from every spot where they 
could find shelter. From the groans I heard from be- 
low, it was evident that many of the shots had pierced 
the shutters and wounded the defenders of the house. 

While the scenes I have described were going on in 


136 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


my immediate vicinity, I observed that in the distance 
the main body of the Indians were engaged in a hot 
engagement with the troops who had marched towardi 
the pass. The light artillery of the former, though of 
no use for distant firing, had been judiciously placed in 
commanding positions, and masked with breastworks 
of stone and earth hastily thrown up. Their fire was 
reserved till the Spaniards got close to them; then 
from each battery the iron shower went forth, sweep- 
ing through the ranks of the Spanish troops. I could 
see them waver and attempt to turn back ; but urged 
on by their officers, they again advanced. A portion 
attempted to storm the heights on which the cannon 
were posted; but thousands of Indians were behind 
the batteries, and they were driven back with great 
slaughter. Still the rest marched on. Sometimes they 
were concealed from my sight, and I could only judge 
by the movements of the Indians on the higher ground 
that the fight was continuing ; then again a turn of the 
path brought them once more in view. Their numbers 
were fast diminishing ; but pride, and contempt for a 
race they had for so long been taught to despise, urged 
them forward. They fancied probably that they must 
prove victorious as soon as they could come into actual 
contact with their foes. They were now also fighting 
for life as well as honour; for if driven back, few 
would expect to escape after the reception they had 
already met with. Every instant, however, fresh bodies 
of Indians sprung up above and around them. On 
every height warriors were posted, every rock concealed 
an enemy. 

My attention was now drawn off from the more dis- 
tant scene by what was going on below me. The 


OUR nOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 137 

Indians having penetrated through the gardens, now 
entirely surrounded the house ; and it required all the 
vigilance of those within to repel them. I could hear 
those below rushing about to each assailable point as 
their presence was most required; the officers shouted 
their orders, bullets rattled through the house, and the 
heavy blows of clubs and axes sounded on every side, 
while the whole house was filled with the smoke of the 
firearms. When, however, after some time, the Indians 
found that they could not gain an entrance in this 
manner without great loss, they retired behind the 
outer walls of the garden, and a comparative silence 
succeeded to the previous din of warfare. It was but 
preparatory to another more desperate attempt. From 
the mountain side I saw a fresh body of men advanc- 
ing, who bore among them ladders roughly formed out 
of young fir-trees. It was evident that they intended to 
climb to the roof for the purpose of making an entrance 
through it, and dropping down upon the garrison. I 
foresaw that if they did so, the sacrifice of life must 
be very great, though they would ultimately succeed ; 
for the Spaniards could scarcely defend themselves if 
attacked from above as well as on every side. 

I now began to repent of my folly in having re- 
mained behind ; but as I had hitherto been unhurt by 
the bullets, which were striking the roof and walls on 
every side of me, I fancied that I should yet escape. 
I tried to consider what I had best do, and came to 
the conclusion that it would be wiser to remain where 
I was. If I should be recognised by any of the 
Indians, I had no fear of their injuring me; but in the 
confusion and heat of the fight I could scarcely expect 
to be so, and I felt that I must run all the risks of the 


138 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

assault if they should succeed in their object. I 
almost hoped that they would give up the attempt, 
and allow the Spaniards to escape. The success, how- 
ever, of the main body of their army encouraged them 
to persevere. 

As far as I could judge at that distance, the troops 
were completely hemmed in, and were fighting for their 
lives, not to advance, but to return down the mountain. 
Should the house be taken, all hopes of their so doing 
would be lost, as it would leave the besiegers at liberty 
to descend by the path leading to it, and to cut off all 
those who might escape. 

I was not left long in doubt. By making a circuit 
to the left, the ladders were brought to a gable end of 
the house where there were no windows. The Spaniards 
must have seen the ladders, but they had no means of 
attacking those destined to mount them unless by mak- 
ing a sortie ; and this, with their diminished numbers, 
they were probably afraid of attempting. The tramp 
of some men on the steps leading to the roof, showed 
me that they were aware of what was about to take 
place, but they were too late. The Indians had already 
begun to tear off the tiles, and the soldiers who ap- 
peared were received with the discharge of a dozen 
muskets close to their faces. Many fell; the rest 
attempted to retreat, and were precipitated to the floor 
below. The Indians swarmed up in numbers, and filled 
the whole upper story. I stood concealed in a small 
closet which had not been entered. Just then I per- 
ceived, besides the smoke of gunpowder, a cloud of 
greater density ascending through the floor, and a 
strong smell of burning wood. 

‘ Merciful heaven ! ’ I exclaimed, ‘ the house is on fire ? 


OUR HOUSE ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. 13^ 

The Indians discovered what was the case at the 
«ame time, and rushed down the steps. I followed the 
last of them. I thought if I attempted to escape by 
the ladders, I might be mistaken for a Spaniard, and 
shot. The scene of fighting, bloodshed, and confusion, 
which met my sight below, passes all description. The 
combat was carried on by both sides with desperation, 
the chief aim of the Indians being to open the gates to 
their friends without, and that of the Spaniards to pre- 
vent them. In the confined space of the passages, the 
Indians had somewhat the advantage with their daggers 
or short swords, and their axes; and they continued 
fighting for a minute or more, but had, notwithstand- 
ing, made little progress, when, from the secret pas- 
sage I have so often described, a band of half-naked 
warriors burst into the house, and uttering loud yells, 
set upon the Spaniards with the utmost fury. Several 
of the officers had been killed or severely wounded. 
Terror-stricken at these new opponents, the men gave 
way ; some attempted to gain the roof, others to burst 
their way through the doors, though they must then 
have fallen into the hands of their enemies ; but they 
had a new foe to contend with, as relentless as the 
former. 

The fire, which had been smouldering in one of the 
rooms, burst forth as the doors were thrown open, and, 
fanned by the breeze, the fierce flames crept across the 
walls and along the rafters and ceiling. As the im- 
pending danger was perceived, many of the combatants 
ceased their strife, and victors and vanquished endea- 
roured to preserve their lives by flight; but some, 
worked up to fury, fought desperately on till the flames 
actually caught them in their toils, and claimed them 


140 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

for their victims. Others, with their clothes on fire, 
Spaniards and Indians mingled together, were seen 
rushing forth and calling on their friends for aid — on 
their foes for mercy. Mercy the Indians had never 
received, nor were they in a temper to grant it. As 
each Spaniard appeared he was cut down, or was else 
driven back into the flames, till, as I afterwards heard, 
not one remained alive of all those who had lately gar- 
risoned the house. 

In the meantime I had been watching an opportunity 
to escape. The fighting was still continuing with the 
greatest fury, the combatants passing before me, as 
alternately the Spaniards forced their way forward, or 
were again driven back by the Indians who poured into 
the building, while the raging flames gained possession 
of it ; when, as the heat became so intense that I could 
no longer hold my post, and a space for an instant 
appearing clear before me, I darted forward amid the 
fire, the whistling bullets and the weapons of the com- 
batants. I ran on in the hopes of reaching one of the 
doors at the west side of the house; but I was so 
blinded and stifled by the smoke, that I could scarcely 
see my way, or know what I was about. I fancied 
that I perceived before me a number of Indians. They 
were driving at the point of their spears several soldiers 
back into the fire that had reached that part of the 
house. With fierce gestures some of them advanced 
towards me. I tried to cry out and explain who I 
was, when, before the words were spoken, I was sensible 
of a sharp blow, it seemed on my side. The next in 
stant I saw axes and swords glittering above my head. 
I sunk to the ground, and all consciousness passed 
from me. 


THE Indian’s hut. 


141 


CHAPTER IX. 

THE Indian’s hut — alarming news. 

When consciousness at length returned, a very different 
scene met my sight. I had an idea that something 
dreadful had occurred, but what it was I could not 
tell. My belief was, that I had been dreaming that I 
had witnessed a battle, that I had fallen from my horse 
and hurt myself, and that I had been lifted up and 
carried along on men’s shoulders to some distant place. 
I had an indistinct recollection of a face full of tender- 
ness often bending over me ; but whether it were white 
or red I could not tell, the expression only had made 
any impression on me. There was, however, so great a 
want of clearness and reality in what I have described, 
that when I once more began to collect my thoughts, 
I was unable to determine whether or not I had been 
dreaming all the time, and was stiU half asleep. 

At length I opened my eyes, and discovered that I 
was lying under the shade of a small hut or wigwam, 
composed of the boughs of trees, and thatched carefully 
over with straw. My couch was on the ground ; but 
it was a very soft one, for the bed was stuffed with a 
quantity of the fine wool of the vicunas, and covered 
with a delicately woven woollen stuff. 

The hut stood in an open space amid a forest of 
gigantic trees, such as a tropical clime can alone pro- 
duce. Beyond wei*e dark and frowning rocks, abov® 


142 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


which rose ridges of lofty mountains, one overtopping 
the other, till the more distant, covered with a mantle 
of everlasting snow, seemed lost in the clouds. The sky 
overhead was of intense blue; and through it sailed, 
with outstretched wings, a mighty condor, carrying in 
his talons a kid he had snatched from the valley below 
to his eyrie on the summit of the rugged cliffs in the 
distance. I watched the majestic bird as it sailed along, 
forgetful of my own condition, and wondering whether 
any one would be able to rescue the poor animal from 
its impending fate. On it went, growing smaller and 
smaller, till it became a mere speck in the sky, and then 
disappeared altogether. 

This trifling circumstance served to arouse me, and 
I began td look about me with some attention. I dis- 
covered, at length, that the forest-glade was not tenant- 
less, for the part farthest removed from me was crowded 
with dense masses of Indians, who were collected round 
one who, by his height, his rich dress, and noble bearing, 
I conjectured to be a chief, though I never recollected 
to have seen him before. Other Indians kept arriving 
from all sides through the forest. He stood elevated 
above the rest on a mound of earth under a canopy of 
cloth of many colours ; and I observed that the horla^ 
the red fringe worn only in ancient days by the proud 
Incas, bound his brow. From this sign I could have 
no doubt that he was the well-known chieftain, Tupac 
Amaru, the lineal descendant of the Incas, and the 
elder uncle of my friend Manco. By the Indians he 
had been known usually by the name of Condorcanqui, 
and by the Spanish as Don Jose Gabriel, Marquis de 
Alcalises, a title which had been given to one of his 
ancestors by the King of Spain. 


THE Indian’s hut. 


142 


He was addressing the multitude in a harangue 
which, from the distance he was from me, I could not 
hear. The people listened with deep earnestness and 
silence, till some expression aroused their passions, when 
brandishing their weapons, their bows, their clubs and 
spears, they uttered shouts of approval, or wild cries of 
defiance and hatred to their foe. 

I had no doubt that I was in one of the strongholds 
of the Indians, among the mountains on the eastern 
side of the Andes. The Inca, for so I may call him, 
continued speaking for an hour or more, when I again 
fell off into a sleep or stupor. I had discovered that I 
was wounded both in the head and side; and I felt 
dreadfully weak and ill. The sun was just gliding 
behind the mountains when I again opened my eyes. 
By my side sat a young and very beautiful woman, her 
large black eyes and the tinge of copper in her com- 
plexion showing that she was of Indian birth. 

In front of the hut stood a man whose figure I thought 
I knew. An exclamation of surprise escaped my lips. 
He turned his head at the sound of my voice, and I 
recognised, to my joy, the chief Manco. He knelt down 
by my side. 

‘ Ah ! my young friend, I rejoice to hear you speak 
once again,’ he said. ‘ My wife and I have watched 
over you anxiously, for we thought with sorrow that 
you would never recover.’ 

I did not before know that Manco had a wife. 
‘You have been very good to me; and had it not 
been for her care, I must have died,’ I replied. ‘I 
dare say I shall now soon get well ; but can you tell 
me anything of my parents and my brothers and 
sisters? Is Ithulpo with you?’ 


144 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ I can give you no tidings of them,* he replied, turn- 
ing away his head. ‘ Ithulpo has not come back to uSy 
and I know not where he is.’ 

‘ My poor father and mother ! they will think I have 
been killed,’ I ejaculated. ‘ It will make them grieve 
very much.’ 

‘They will trust in God and hope for the best, as 
you must, my friend,’ he observed. ‘ But I must not 
let you talk, or it will bring back the fever which has 
been on you. Nita will watch over you, for I have 
matters which call me away.’ As he spoke, his young 
wife handed me a cup filled with a coohng draught 
distilled from herbs, which I drank eagerly off. ‘ That 
will do you good,’ he remarked. ‘ To-morrow, if you 
are stronger, I will answer the questions I see you are 
eager to put. Now, farewell.’ He shook his head when 
he saw that I was about again to speak, and went off 
across the glade. 

I next tried to interrogate Nita, speaking in the 
Quichua language, supposing she did not understand 
Spanish; but with a smile she signed to me not to 
talk. 

‘ Sleep, stranger, sleep,’ she said in a sweet musical 
voice in her native tongue ; ‘ it will strengthen you to 
undergo the toils which are in store for you. My hus- 
band has promised to tell you more to-morrow, I must 
quit you if you persist in talking.’ 

Seeing that she was determined not to answer any of 
the questions I longed to ask, I felt that it would be 
ungrateful not to do as she desired me, and I once more 
resigned myself to sleep. 

The next day I felt better and stronger, and my 
wounds wore healing rapidly ; but Manco did not re- 


ALARMING NEWS. 


145 


turn, and Nita told me that he was engaged in mustering 
and arming his followers. She would, however, give me 
no other information. I felt very sad and solitary, not- 
withstanding her kindness ; for, whenever I could collect 
my thoughts, I could not help fearing that some mis- 
fortune had befallen those I best loved on earth. For- 
tunately I slept or dozed away the greater part of the 
day, and this, I suspect, contributed to the rapidity of 
my recovery, aided by my good constitution and the 
pure air I breathed. At night Nita sent an old woman 
to sit by me, who was relieved by a young lad of my 
own age. I expected to gain some information from 
the latter, for he looked very intelligent ; but when I 
spoke to him he shook his head, and I afterwards dis- 
covered that the poor fellow was deaf and dumb. 
There were several huts near mine, one of which I 
found was occupied by Nita and her husband. 

Three days passed away, and at last, to my great 
joy, Manco came back. He seemed in high spirits 
when he spoke of the prospects of his people. He 
told me that the Indians throughout the whole of the 
mountain districts of Peru were up in arms, and that 
whenever they had encountered the Spaniards the latter 
had been defeated ; though he confessed, with regret, 
that many atrocities had been committed by the enraged 
natives, and that the white inhabitants of whole villages 
and districts, including women and children, had been 
cruelly massacred, as had also the negroes and those 
with any white blood in their veins. 

I may as well here pause in my personal narrative 
to give a short account of the cause of the disastrous 
revolt of the Indians of Peru, from which so many 
thousand lives were sacrificed. I have already spoken 

K 


146 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

of the systematic cruelty practised by the Spaniards 
from their first occupation of the country, and of the 
dreadful effects of the mita (as the parcelling out 
of the people among the conquerors as slaves was 
called, under the pretence of enabling them to learn 
trades and to become domestic servants, as also to 
make them work in the mines); but another injustice 
was the immediate cause of the outbreak. This was 
the repartimiento. It was a law originally made by 
the Spanish Government, authorizing the corregidores 
to distribute among the natives goods imported from 
Europe at fixed prices, and which they were com- 
pelled to purchase whether they required them or not. 
Consequently, all sorts of things damaged and useless 
were sent out from Spain to Peru, where they were 
certain of realizing a profit to be obtained nowhere else. 
Among them might be found silk stockings, satins, and 
velvets — ^razors for men who never shaved, and spec- 
tacles for those whose eyesight was excellent. I re- 
member especially a consignment of spectacles arriving 
to a merchant at Lima. He could nowhere dispose of 
them, till he bethought himself of applying to a cor- 
regidor of a neighbouring district, who was his friend, 
to help him. The latter threw no difficulty in the way. 

‘ Your goods shall be sold immediately, my friend,’ 
he replied ; and forthwith he issued an order that no 
Indian should appear at church or at festivals unless 
adorned with a pair of spectacles, intimating the place 
where they were to be sold. The poor people had to 
come and buy the spectacles, and to pay a very high 
price for them into the bargain. 

The Spanish Government, when they framed the law, 
had doubtless no idea that it would be thus abused ; 


ALAEMING NEWS. 


147 


their intention being to civilise the people by the intro- 
duction of European clothing and luxuries, and in that 
manner to create a good market for the product of the 
industry of the mother country. It is one of the many 
examples of the folly of attempting to force the in- 
terests of commerce by unjust laws. For a time a few 
merchants sold their goods ; but the ultimate result, 
independent of the bloodshed which it caused, was 
that the Indians took a dislike to Spanish manufactures, 
and the Peruvian market was ultimately lost for ever to 
Spain. 

The repartimiento had lately been put in force by the 
corregidores with even more than the usual injustice. 
The corregidores were, I must explain, Spanish municipal 
officers, who had very great authority in the districts 
they governed ; and as they were the receivers of all 
taxes, tributes, and customs, they were able to ensure 
it with unsparing rapacity, which they did not fail to 
do in most instances. 

At length, after years of suffering, the Indian popu- 
lation were thoroughly aroused, and determined to throw 
off the hated yoke of the tyrants. Condorcanqui placed 
himself at their head; and before the Spaniards were 
aware of the storm which was gathering, he had col- 
lected a large but undisciplined army. He had two 
sons, called Andres and Mariano, and a brother named 
Diogo, all of whom assumed the title of Tupac Amaru, 
which means in the Quichua language, the highly en- 
dowed. Several others of his relations also assumed the 
same title, and took command of the patriots’ forces in 
other parts of the country. The Spaniards, despising 
the Indians, and regardless of any warnings they might 
have received, were completely taken by surprise, and 


148 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

defeated in all directions. The villages in whole dis- 
tricts were totally destroyed, and several large towns 
were besieged, many of which were captured and the 
inhabitants put to the sword. 

Of their first victory I had been a witness. Condor- 
canqui had been cacique of the province of Tungasuca, 
the corregidor of which was among the most exacting 
and rapacious of his class. For a long time the Indian 
chief had brooded over the sufferings of his country- 
men, till he resolved to avenge them. He confided his 
plans to a few other caciques only, and to his own rela- 
tives. They prepared the people by means of faithful 
emissaries throughout the country ; and arms and 
munitions of war were collected with the greatest 
secrecy and expedition. At an appointed day the 
signal of revolt was given ; and the corregidores in 
many of the provinces, whom they looked upon as 
their principal oppressors, were seized and executed. 

The corregidor of Tungasuca had been entertaining a 
party of friends and some travellers at his house. The 
feast was over ; they had taken then* siesta ; and other 
guests had assembled to pass the evening with music 
and dancing. His wife and daughters were there, and 
several ladies young and lovely. The gay guitar was 
sounding in the hall, and happy hearts and light feet 
were keeping time to the music. The corregidor was 
standing apart from the rest in earnest conversation 
with a stranger. 

‘ This is my farewell assembly,’ he observed. ‘ I 
have now, thank Providence, amassed a fortune suffi- 
cient for my wants ; and in a few weeks’ time I shall 
sail for my beloved Spain. This country is a good 
one for making money, but for nothing else.’ 


ALARMING NEWS. 


149 


‘ It is a fine country, though ; and history tells us 
was once a perfect paradise,’ remarked the stranger. 

‘ A paradise it might have been when the fields were 
better cultivated and more mines were worked ; but the 
people have chosen to die off, and those who remain are 
idle and lazy, and will not work,’ answered the corre- 
gidor^ with a scornful laugh. 

‘ They have lately taken to care very little for religion 
either,’ observed Padre Diogo, the family chaplain, who 
now joined the speakers. ‘ When we go among them 
with the saints to collect offerings, our boxes come 
back not a quarter full.’ 

Just then a servant, pale with terror, rushed up to 
his master. 

‘ What is the matter ? ’ asked the corregidor, ‘ Speak, 
fool, speak ! ’ for the man could only utter some unin- 
telligible sounds. 

‘The Indians! the Indians!’ cried the man, at 
length finding his voice. ‘The house is surrounded 
by thousands of them ! ’ 

‘ Impossible ! ’ exclaimed the corregidor. ‘ The slaves 
would not dare — ’ 

Just then an unearthly cry rent the air. The music 
ceased, and the strangers hurried to go — the ladies 
clasping their partners’ arms, and the children cling- 
ing to their mothers. Some of the men went to the 
windows. What the servant had reported was too 
true. On each side were seen, by the beams of the 
pale moon, dense masses of armed savages, forming 
an impenetrable barrier round the house ; while others 
kept arriving from every direction. 

‘What means all this?’ exclaimed the corregidor. 
‘ I will go out and order the slaves to disperse.’ 


150 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ 0 stay, stay ! ’ cried his wife, clinging to him with 
an air of despair, which showed her too true fore- 
bodings of evil. ‘ They are exasperated against you, 
and may do you harm. Let Padre Diogo go ; he has 
influence with the people, and may persuade them to 
depart.' 

The corregidor was easily persuaded to follow his 
wife's counsel, for his conscience told him that the 
Indians had just cause to hate him. One of the 
strangers suggested that efforts should instantly be 
made to barricade the house, and prepare for defend- 
ing it, should the Indians be assembled with any hostile 
intention. The corregidor was about to give orders to 
that effect, when another loud unearthly shriek para- 
lysed the nerves of all the inmates. 

‘Oh, go, Sefior Padre, go! save my husband and 
children !' cried the terrified wife. 

‘Save us! save us!' cried the guests, now fully 
aware of the horrible danger that threatened them. 

Thus urged. Padre Diogo prepared, with many mis- 
givings, to go forth and appeal to the people. He 
looked round with a sad countenance on those he had 
lately seen so full of life and gaiety. 

‘ May Heaven and the saints protect you, my children,' 
he said solemnly. 

Then taking in his hand a crucifix which hung in a 
little oratory near the hall, he opened the front door of 
the house and stepped out among the crowd. He held 
the sacred symbol of his faith aloft in his hand. It 
served as his safeguard. No one attempted to injure 
him; but before he could utter a word, he was sur- 
rounded and hurried away from the house. No one 
would listen to his prayers and entreaties. 


ALARmNG NEWS. 


151 


‘ Mercy, mercy, for the unfortunates in yonder man- 
sion ! ’ he cried. 

‘Mercy, mercy, Senor Padre! did they ever show 
mercy to us ? ’ exclaimed a voice from the crowd. 

He looked back ; the Indians were pouring into the 
house. Loud agonized shrieks of women and children 
reached his ears. A few shots were heard, followed 
by the triumphant shouts of the Indians. Flames were 
seen bursting forth from the house. They burned up 
bright and clear in the night air. By their light he 
observed a man dragged along among a crowd of 
Indians. They stopped and appeared to be busily at 
work. In a short time a gibbet was erected near the 
burning building. 

‘You are required to shrive a dying man, Senor 
Padre,’ said an Indian who approached him. 

He was led towards the engine of death. There, 
beneath it, he found, pale with terror, and trembling 
in every limb, the corregidor^ his patron. 

‘ They tell me, my son, that I am to perform the last 
offices of religion for the dying,’ said Padre Diogo. 

‘For me. Padre, for me!’ exclaimed the corregidor 
in a voice of agony. ‘Alas! it is cruel mockery. 
They have murdered my wife and children, my guests 
and servants — all, all are dead! and now they will 
murder me.’ 

‘ I will plead for you ; I will try to save your life,’ 
said the padre. ‘ But they cannot have been so cruel 
— they cannot have murdered those innocents !’ 

‘Alas! I speak true. Before my eyes they slew 
all I love on earth, and they only preserved me to 
make me endure longer suffering,’ said the wretched 


man. 


152 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF, 

‘You are delaying to perform your duty,* cried a 
voice from among the crowd of Indians. 

‘Mercy, mercy, for him, my children!* ejaculated 
the padre. 

‘ He showed us none,’ answered a hundred voices in 
return. ‘Proceed, proceed, or he must die without 
shrift.* 

The padre felt there was no hope ; but he attempted 
to make another appeal. He was answered in the 
same strain. 

‘My son, you must prepare your soul for another 
world,* he whispered into the ear of the corregidor. 

The unhappy man saw that indeed there was no 
hope for him, but still he clung to life. He dared 
not die. At that moment aU his deeds of cruelty, all 
his tyranny, came crowding to his memory in a light 
they had never before worn. Of what use now was to 
him the wealth he had thus unjustly acquired? Oh I if 
men would at all times and seasons remember that they 
must one day die, and give an account of their deeds 
on earth, would it not restrain them from committing 
acts of injustice and wrong ? The corregidor attempted 
to enumerate his misdeeds. They were too many for 
him to recollect. 

‘I have offended — I have miserably offended!* he 
exclaimed in his agony. 

‘ God is full of mercy. He rejoices in pardoning the 
repentant sinner,* answered the padre. 

But his words brought no hope to a doubting mind. 
He felt that his crimes were too great for pardon ; 
though till that moment he had not considered them as 
crimes. 

The priest then proceeded to administer to him the 


ALARMING NEWS. 


153 


last sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church. He 
had scarcely concluded, when the Indians, who had 
stood around in reverential silence, raised a loud 
clamour for the instant execution of the culprit ; but 
Padre Diogo was a brave man. 

‘My children,’ he cried, ‘you have already com- 
mitted a great sin in murdering the innocents who this 
night have fallen by your hands. Their blood will cry 
to Heaven for vengeance. Preserve this man’s life, 
repent, and pray for mercy.’ 

A cacique now stepped forward from among the 
crowd. 

‘ Senor Padre,’ he said, ‘ we listen to your words 
with reverence, for you are a priest, and have ever 
proved our friend ; but this man was placed in authority 
over us, and most cruelly did he abuse that authority. 
He has been tried and found guilty. As his ancestors 
murdered our last Inca, the great Atahualpa, so he 
must die. He has but one minute more to live. We 
have already shown him more mercy than he deserves.’ 

The tone, as much as the words of the speaker, con- 
vinced the padre that his penitent must die. To the 
last he stood by his side, whispering such words of 
consolation as he could offer. Several Indians, ap- 
pointed as executioners, advanced ; and in an instant 
the miserable man was hurried into eternity. 

‘ For this man’s death, the vengeance of his country- 
men will fall terribly on your heads, my children,’ ex- 
claimed the padre ; for the proud spirit of the Spaniard 
was aroused within his bosom, and he did not fear 
what they might do to him. Too truly were his words 
afterwards verified. No one seemed to heed what he 
said ; and he was led away from the spot by a party 


154 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


of Indians, in whose charge he was given by the chief 
Tupac Amaru. To his horror, he found that every 
man, woman, and child among the white inhabitants 
of the village had fallen victims to the exasperated 
fury of the Indians. 

This account was given me some time afterwards by 
Padre Diogo himself ; though I thought the present a 
proper opportunity of introducing it. 

I will now return to my own narrative. I rapidly 
recovered my strength, and in a few more days was able 
to leave the hut and walk about without assistance ; 
but my anxiety for the fate of my family was in no way 
relieved ; and though Manco made all the inquiries in 
his power, he could afford me no consolation. I was 
sitting one evening in front of the hut, meditating what 
course to pursue, when Manco came and threw himself 
on the ground by my side. He took my hand and 
looked kindly in my face ; but I saw that his counte- 
nance wore an expression of deep melancholy. With a 
trembling voice I asked him what news he had to com- 
municate. 

‘Bad news, bad news, my young friend,’ he saidj 
and then stopped, as if afraid of proceeding. 

‘ Of my parents ? ’ I inquired, for I could not bear the 
agony of suspense. ‘ Speak, Manco ; has Ithulpo not 
arrived ? ’ 

‘Alas! no,’ he answered, sorrowfully shaking his 
head. ‘ I have too certain evidence of Ithulpo’s death ; 
and, faithful as he was, he would never have deserted 
your parents. His body has been discovered near a 
village which has been attacked and burned by my 
countrymen. There can be no doubt that they had 
taken refuge within it. Alas that I should say it, who 


ALARMING NEWS. 


15 & 


nave received such benefits from them ! The Indians^ 
put to the sword every inhabitant they found there, 
and among them your parents must have perished.’ 

At first I was stunned with what he said, though I 
could not bring myself to believe the horrid tale. 

‘ I will go in search of them,’ I at length exclaimed. 
‘ I will find them if they are alive ; or I must see their 
bodies, if, as you say, they have been murdered, before 
I can believe you. The Indians, whom they always 
loved and pitied, could not have been guilty of such 
barbarity. If your countrymen have murdered their 
benefactors, I tell you that they are miserable worthless 
wretches ; and the Spaniards will be justified in sweep- 
ing them from the face of the earth.’ 

As I gave utterance to these exclamations, I felt mjr 
spirit maddening within me. I cared not what I said ; 
I felt no fear for the consequences. At first, after I 
had spoken, a cloud came over Manco’s brow ; but it 
quickly cleared away, and he regarded me with looks 
of deep commiseration. 

‘ Should I not feel as he does, if all those I loved 
best on earth had been slaughtered?’ he muttered to 
himself. ‘ I feel for you, my friend, and most deeply 
grieve,’ he said aloud, taking my hand, which I had 
withdrawn, and watering it with his tears. ‘ Yet you 
are unjust in thus speaking of my people. They did 
not kill your parents knowingly. The sin rests with 
the Spaniards, whom they desired to punish ; and the 
innocent have perished with the guilty. Sure I am 
that not an Indian would have injured them ; and had 
they been able to come into our camp, they would have 
been received with honour and reverence.’ 

I hung down my head, and my bursting heart at 


156 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


length found relief in tears. I was still very weak, or 
I believe that my feelings would have assumed a fiercer 
character. 

‘ I have been unjust to you, Manco/ I said, when I 
could once more give utterance to my thoughts. ‘ I 
will try not to blame your countrymen for your sake ; 
but I must leave you, to discover whether your dread- 
ful report is true or false.’ 

He took my hand again, and pressed it within his 
own. It was night before I was tolerably composed ; 
and as I threw myself on my couch within the hut, I 
wept bitterly as a child, till sleep came to relieve my 
misery. I must not dwell on the anguish I felt on 
waking — the utter wretchedness of the next day. I was 
too ill to move, though I prayed for strength to enable 
me to prosecute my search. Strength and health came 
again at last ; and in four days after I had heard the 
account given by Manco, I insisted that I was able to 
undergo the fatigue to which I must be exposed. No- 
thing that Manco or his wife could say had power to 
deter me. 

‘ You will be taken by the cruel Spaniards, and exe- 
cuted as a spy,’ said Nita, the tears dropping from her 
eyes as she spoke. 

‘ No Indian on whom you can rely will be able to 
accompany you, and you cannot find your way alone,’ 
observed Manco. ‘Besides, in these unhappy times 
robbers and desperadoes of every sort are ranging 
through the country ; and if you escape other dangers, 
they will murder you.’ 

‘My kind friends,’ I answered, taking both their 
hands, ‘ I feel your regard for me ; but I fear neither 
Spaniards nor Indians, nor robbers nor wild beasts, 


ALARMING NEWS. 


157 


nor deserts nor storms, nor heat nor cold, nor hunger 
nor thirst. I have a holy duty to perform, and I 
should be unworthy of the name I bear if I shrunk 
from encountering the danger which may be before 
me.' 

‘ If go you must, and I see that there is no use in 
attempting to dissuade you, I will give you every 
assistance in my power,' said Manco. 

And thus it was arranged that I was to set out on 
my perilous undertaking the next day but one, by 
which time he would be able to accompany me to the 
foot of the mountains, though he would not be absent 
long from his important duty in the patriots' army. 


158 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEE. 


CHAPTER X. 

MY WANDERINGS WITH MANCO — HOW A PADRE TOLD 
HIS BEADS, BUT HIS BEADS TOLD HIM NOTHING. 

The morning I was to set out arrived at last, and I 
bid farewell to Nita and her little infant, which I kissed 
over and over again for its mother’s sake ; for my heart 
was full of gratitude for her kindness and compassion. 
Manco had procured a mule for me — a small but 
strong animal, with great sagacity. It was very sure- 
footed, and could climb up the most rugged rocks, 
and shp down mountain precipices like a goat. It 
was of the greatest value to me ; for, weak as I was, 
I could not possibly have walked a mile of my journey. 
We had to descend some way, and then to travel along 
the side of the mountain range, in order to gain the 
road which led across the Cordilleras. I speak of the 
path as a road ; but in many spots it was so narrow 
and difficult that I thought it would be impossible for 
any mule to get along. Here and there large blocks 
of stone had been placed, with the intention of facili- 
tating the ascent. My mule sprung up them with 
such violent jerks that I was at first almost thrown 
over his head ; but when we had to descend, he picked 
his way with great caution. Manco went before me 
with a long pole in his hand, ready to assist me if I 
required 't. 


MY WANDERINGS WITH MANCO. 


159 


After proceeding some way, I observed a large 
valley spread out at our feet. It was full of people 
and numerous tents and huts. Manco pointed to it 
with an expression of pride in his countenance. 

‘There,’ said he, ‘you see the headquarters of the 
army which is to liberate our country from the power 
of the conqueror. The Inca Tupac Amaru himself, 
and his two young and noble sons, are there. In a few 
days the whole army will be assembled, when we march 
upon Cuzco, once more to reinstate our sovereign in the 
capital of his ancestors.’ 

Manco’s dark eyes flashed proudly as he spoke ; for 
after the recent success of the Indian arms he had 
no doubt of victory. I thought differently. Hitherto 
the Indians had fought among mountains, where dis- 
cipline was of little avail, and their bows and slings 
could send their missiles with effect; or they had 
attacked unfortified and unprepared villages ; but in 
the neighbourhood of Cuzco they would be in an open 
valley, where the cavalry and artillery of the Spaniards 
could be brought into play, and I trembled for the 
consequences. I was unwilling to damp Manco’s 
ardour ; but I endeavoured to point out the dangers 
I foresaw, and urged him to persuade the chiefs not 
to be over-confident. 

We kept along the ridge of the height forming the 
side of the valley without descending, and I was thus 
able to obtain a full view of the Indian army. I was 
surprised not only at the vast number of people col- 
lected, but at the apparent order which prevailed, and 
at the great state which the Inca and his chief officers 
maintained. In the centre of the camp, amid a number 
cf banners fluttering in the breeze, was erected a large 


IGO MANCO, THE PEKUVIAN CHIEF. 

canopy of gay-coloured cloth, beneath which was a 
throne, richly ornamented with gold and silver. A 
flight of steps led to it, along which were ranged a 
body of guards armed with battle-axes and spears. 
The Inca sat on his throne, dressed in the ancient 
costume of his ancestors, which I have before de- 
scribed ; and officers of various ranks kept continually 
coming up to receive orders. As they approached, 
they bowed reverentially before him, and knelt at his 
feet while he addressed them. I could scarcely believe 
that what I saw was a reahty, and that I was not 
dreaming of the accounts I had read of the early 
history of the country. It did not then occur to me 
that much valuable time was thus lost to the Indian 
cause in idle ceremony ; and that Tupac Amaru would 
have had a better chance of success had he at once 
swept the country from north to south with his forces, 
before the Spaniards had recovered from their terror 
and dismay at their first defeat. 

After stopping for a few minutes to gaze at the 
novel and interesting scene, we turned up a path 
through a ravine, and were quickly again in the soli- 
tude of the mountains. We travelled upwards for 
three days, sleeping at nights at the huts of Indians, 
where we received a warm welcome from their wives, 
but the men were in all cases absent. We were now 
crossing the Puna heights, as the table-lands on the 
upper part of the Cordilleras are called. We were 
some fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. 
On either side arose the lofty summits of the Cordilleras, 
covered with the ice of centuries. Before us stretched 
out to a great extent the level heights, covered with 
the dull yellow Puna grass, blending its tint with the 


MT WANDERINGS WITH MANGO. 


161 


greenish hue of the glaciers. It was truly a wild and 
desolate scene. Herds of vicunas approached to gaze 
with wonder at us, and then turning affrighted, fled 
away with the swiftness of the wind. The Puna stag, 
with stately step, advanced from his lair in the recesses 
of the mountains, and gazed on us with his large wonder- 
ing eyes. Farther off were groups of huancas, looking 
cautiously at us as we passed, while the rock-rabbits 
disported nimbly around us. I begged Manco not to 
shoot them, for we did not requhe food, and I never 
liked killing an animal for sport. 

The mountain air and exercise had completely re- 
stored my strength, when on a sudden an indescribable 
oppression overcame me. My heart throbbed audibly, 
and my breathing became short and interrupted, while 
a weight as if of lead lay on my chest. My lips swelled 
and burst, blood flowed from my eyelids, and I began 
to lose my senses. I should have fallen from my mule 
had not Manco lifted me off. A grey mist floated 
before my eyes, and I could neither see, hear, nor feel 
distinctly. Manco sat down, and took my head in his 
lap ; when after a time I began to recover, and I saw 
that he was anxiously looking at a dense mass of clouds 
gathering above us. 

‘ Up, up, my friend, and mount if you value your 
life!’ he said. ‘You are better now. A storm is 
about to burst, and we must face it boldly.’ 

Scarcely had he spoken, when loud peals of thunder 
were heard, and lightning darted from the skies. Down, 
too, came the snow in flakes, so heavy that it was im- 
possible to see many yards before us. 

‘We must push on,’ observed Manco. ‘We have 
lost much time already, and night will overtake us 

L 


162 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


before we can reach the nearest village.’ The snow, 
however, fell faster, and completely concealed all signs 
of the path. ‘ When the snow-storm has ceased, I 
shall easily find the way by the flight of the birds we 
are certain to see,’ he continued. ‘So, fear not. You 
are suffering from the keen air of the mountains, and 
you will quickly recover when we begin to descend to 
lower ground.’ 

Even his sagacity was at fault, and we soon found 
that we had wandered from the right path. As I did 
not grow worse, I kept up my spirits. Two or three 
hours passed away, and the snow ceased. It had 
scarcely done so, when the clouds opened, and the 
bright glance of the burning sun burst forth dazzlingly 
on the white expanse of snow before me. In a moment 
I felt my eyes stricken with almost total blindness. A 
cry of horror escaped me. I fancied that I should not 
recover. Manco tried to console me, assuring me that 
I was merely suffering from the surumpe^ a common 
complaint in those regions. 

‘ I ought to have guarded you against it,’ he said. 
‘ Strangers unaccustomed to the sight of the glittering 
snow constantly suffer from it ; but it will soon pass 
away.’ 

I, however, thought differently, though I was un- 
willing to complain to him. We went on as fast as 
we could ; but the sun set when we were still a long 
way from the edge of the plain. We had with difficulty 
avoided several swamps, in which he had told me animals 
and men were sometimes lost. They are the chief dangers 
of that region. Fortunately, he recognised a range of 
lofty rocks near us. 

‘ There is a cavern within them not far off, where 


MY WANDERINGS WITH MANGO. 


163 


we must rest for the night,’ he said. ‘ We might have 
a worse lodging, for we shall there, at all events, be 
sheltered from the snow and wind.’ 

It was now perfectly dark ; but after searching for 
^some time, we succeeded in discovering the cavern. 
While he tethered my mule outside, I staggered in, 
and, overcome with fatigue and the pain I was suffer- 
ing, sunk upon the ground, a stone which lay near me 
serving for a pillow. I begged him to let me remain 
where I was, while he refreshed himself with some of 
the provisions we had brought with us. We had no 
means of striking a light : and as he could afford me 
no assistance beyond throwing a poncho over me, he 
did not interfere ; but soon afterwards, stretching him- 
self out near me, he fell asleep. Having been on foot 
all day, he required rest as much as I did. As soon 
as I. fell into a slumber, the smarting pain of the 
sui'umpe awoke me, and I was obliged to give up all 
hope of sleep. How long the night seemed! My 
thoughts all the time were active, and I need scarcely 
say that they were fixed on my expedition, and means 
of accomplishing my object. 

It was towards the morning, when a dreadful turn 
was given to them. Happening to stretch out my hand, 
it came in contact with a cold clammy substance. I 
drew it back, and an indescribable horror crept over 
me ; but influenced by an impulse I could not control, 
I again put it out towards the object. It rested on the 
face of a human being. I was certain that I could not 
be mistaken. I felt the mouth, and nose, and hair; 
but the features were rigid and immoveable. It was 
that of a corpse. Constitutionally fearless, under other 
circumstances I should have got up and removed my- 


1G4 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

self from the disagreeable neighbourhood, supposing 
that some unfortunate traveller had like us taken 
shelter there, and died from cold or hunger; but 
weak with mental and bodily suffering, I had now no 
power over myself, and lay trembling with horror, 
not even venturing to call out to Manco to break the 
dreadful spell which was upon me. It is impossible 
to describe my feelings, or the ideas which took pos- 
session of my mind.' Whose corpse could it be? Might 
there not be others in the cave ? I thought, if I could 
be said to be thinking. At last, I believe I swooned 
away, for most certainly I did not sleep. An ex- 
clamation from Manco aroused me. Daylight was 
streaming into the cavern, and he was sitting up and 
gazing towards me. In another instant he was by my 
side, and, with careful forethought, was endeavouring 
to keep my attention fixed on himself, so as to prevent 
me from seeing the dreadful objects in the inner part of 
the cavern. 

‘Manco,’ I said, ‘I have had a horrid dream. I 
fancied that the cavern was full of corpses.’ As I 
spoke I really thought I had been dreaming. 

Without answering me, he lifted me up, and led me 
towards the open air. An impulse I could not restrain 
made me turn my head; and on the ground, close 
to where I had rested, I saw the corpse of a man. 
Trembling in every limb, I stopped to look at it. It 
was that of a white man. Several ghastly wounds 
were seen on the broad chest, and another on the 
head. The dress and the full black beard and mous- 
tache showed me that he was a Spaniard. There were 
no other corpses to be seen ; and as I looked at the 
object in the broad daylight, with the fresh breeze 


MY WANDERINGS WITH MANGO. 


165 


blowing in my face, the undefined horror I had before 
felt completely vanished. I felt ashamed of my pre- 
vious fears, a&d releasing myself from his support, 
assured him that I had recovered my strength. The 
effort itself assisted to restore my nerves to their usual 
tension; and I was able to turn back and examine 
the corpse. 

‘ Who can have murdered the man and placed him 
here ? ’ I asked. 

Manco shook his head. ‘It is a bad thing — a very 
bad thing ! ’ he replied, as he examined the wounds of 
the man. ‘I fear my countrymen have done it. He 
must have been taken prisoner, for I find the marks of 
cords round his wrists, and he attempted to escape, and 
thus was killed ; but ask no further questions. Come, 
it is time to proceed.’ 

The little mule was safe outside, so I mounted and 
hastened from the spot. * 

As I rode on, my spirits returned with the air and 
exercise, and my mind no longer dwelt on the events 
of the previous night ; and the effects of the surumpe 
also began to wear off. Several rock-rabbits crossed 
our path, two of which Manco shot; and when we 
came to a height which sheltered us from the wind, we 
halted for breakfast. Having tethered the mule, we 
set to work to collect the dry grass and the stems of 
creepers growing from the clefts of the rocks for fuel. 
Manco had with him the means of striking a light, and 
a fire was soon kindled, over which we cooked the 
rabbits and boiled some cocoa in a tin pannikin, by 
the aid of which, with some Indian corn bread, we made 
a very fair meal. 

In an hour more we reached the edge of the Alto^ or 


1G6 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF 

high plain, over which we had been travelling. Before 
us lay, deep and deeper, the dark valleys of the lower 
mountain regions, among which, scarcely discernible, 
were scattered numerous Indian villages. Far beyond 
a more level country stretched out, till it was lost in 
the distant line of the horizon. For several hours we 
descended, till we began to experience a very great 
change of temperature. We rested that night at a 
village inhabited entirely by Indians. It was situated 
among such inaccessible rocks that they had no fear of 
being surprised by the Spaniards. To my great grief, 
Manco told me that he must quit me by dawn on the 
morrow. I of course could not be so selfish as to wish 
to detain him. 

‘ I have been, fortunately, able to find a trustworthy 
guide for you,’ he said. ‘He is a lad a year or so 
younger than you are, but very quick and intelligent. 
He is of a white complexion, though he has an Indian 
heart, for he has been among us from his childhood. 
When an infant he was discovered by some of our 
people in a wood near a Spanish village, and was 
brought hither by them. Their idea is, that either he 
had been deserted by his mother, or that his parents 
had been murdered by robbers, who, for some reason 
or other, saved his life. He is called Pedro. He 
speaks Spanish well ; and should you fall among the 
Spaniards, he will be supposed to belong to their 
people. Should you discover your parents, of which I 
have no hopes, give him his liberty, and he will return 
to us ; and if you abandon the attempt, he will lead 
you back to us. But I will bring him to you, and he 
will speak for himself.’ 

On this Manco left the hut where we were lodging, 


MY WANDERINGS WITH MANGO. 


167 


and soon returned, accompanied by a youth, whose 
clear complexion and full black eyes showed that he 
was descended .fi’om the race who had conquered Peru. 

‘ Are you willing to accompany me, Pedro ? ’ I asked 
in Spanish. ‘ You will probably have many dangers to 
encounter.’ 

He looked at me attentively for some time, as if exa- 
mining my countenance to judge if he could trust me, 
before he answered. 

‘Yes,’ he at length said. ‘I will aid you gladly in 
the work you are about. I care not for dangers. God 
will protect me, as He has before done.’ 

I was much struck with his words and manner, and 
gladly accepted his services. 

‘ But I have no means of rewarding you, Pedro,’ I 
remarked. ‘Some day I may have, but the time is 
probably far distant.’ 

‘ A good action is its own reward,’ he answered, in 
an unaffected tone. ‘ I require no reward. My chief 
and benefactor wishes me to go ; and I desire to obey 
him.’ 

Pedro was an unusual character. He possessed all 
the genius and fire of his Spanish fathers, with the 
simple education of an Indian uncontaminated by mix- 
ing with the world. The next morning he appeared 
habited in the dress of a Spanish farmer’s son, which 
was the character he was to assume should he be inter- 
rogated. He rode a mule similar to mine. He and I 
set forward together towards the west at the same time 
that Manco started to return to the Indian camp. I 
found that Manco had supplied him amply with money 
to pay our expenses, when we should reach the territory 
inhabited by Spaniards ; but he told me that we should 


168 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

require none while we wandered among the Indian 
villages. 

‘ I thought that all the Indians were poor, and that 
even a chief like Manco would have little or no money,’ 
I remarked. 

He smiled as he answered, ‘When men are slaves, 
if they are wise they conceal their wealth, lest their 
masters should take it from them. These mountains 
are full of rich mines of gold and silver, with which 
none but the Indians are acquainted. Many such 
exist, known only to particular families, to whom the 
knowledge has been handed down from father to son. 
Perhaps Manco has such a mine ; but he is too wise to 
speak of it.’ 

I did not think it right to inquire further about the 
source of Manco’s wealth ; but I was satisfied that he 
could spare what he had provided for me. My young 
guide, however, was inclined to be communicative, and 
he beguiled the way by a number of interesting anec- 
dotes. 

‘ 0 yes,’ he continued ; ‘ the Indians are wise to con- 
ceal their riches ; for if the Spaniards discovered them, 
they would no longer be theirs. Not far from this, 
there lives a good padre, the curate of the parish. He 
is very much liked by all the Indians, though he has 
his faults like other men. He is very kind-hearted and 
generous, and is ready to administer to the sick in 
body as well as in mind ; but he is sadly addicted to 
gambling. He will play all day and night with any- 
body who will play with him, till he has lost his last 
real, and has often, I know, to go supperless to bed. 
When the Indians know by his looks and his staying 
at home that he is in poverty, they will send him fowls 


MY WANDERINGS WITH MANGO. 


169 


and eggs, and bread and provisions of all sorts. One 
day he had just received his yearly stipend, when the 
evil spirit can^^ upon him, and he went away .to the 
nearest town and lost it all. He came home very 
miserable, and could scarcely attend to his duties. 
Fortunately for him, an Indian, whose sick child he had 
attended, had compassion on his grief, and told him to 
be comforted. The next day, as soon as it was dark, 
the Indian came to his house, bringing a bag full of 
rich silver ore. The padre was very grateful ; but in- 
stead of spending it wisely to supply his wants, he took 
it into the town, and it went the way of his stipend — 
into the pockets of his gambling companions. Again 
he returned home as full of grief as before. The Indian 
soon heard of what had happened, for he loved the 
padre very much ; so he brought him another bag of 
silver. The padre’s propensity was incurable, and he 
lost that as he had done the first. The Indian’s genero- 
sity was not yet worn out, and he brought him a third 
bag full of ore. When the padre saw it, he could 
scarcely believe his own senses. 

‘ “ I fear that I am robbing you, my kind friend,” he 
said. ‘‘ I shall bring you into the poverty to which I 
have foolishly reduced myself.” 

‘ “ 0 no, Senor Padre ; there is plenty more where 
this comes from,” returned the Indian. “ What I have 
given you is but like a drop of water in the ocean to 
the abundance of rich ore which there lies concealed.” 

‘ “ If that be the case, my kind friend, why not show 
it to me?” exclaimed the padre. “ I shall soon become 
a rich man, and will no longer think of gambling.” 

‘ After much persuasion, the Indian agreed to lead 
the padre to the mine, on condition that he would con- 


170 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

sent to be blindfolded both going and returning. The 
next night they accordingly set out, the Indian leading 
the padre by the hand. After walking for some hours, 
the bandage was taken from the padre’s eyes, and he 
found himself in a spot he had never before visited. 
The Indian set to work, and clearing away a quan- 
tity of earth and bushes, exposed to the delighted eyes of 
the padre a cave full of glittering masses of pure silver. 

‘ “ There, Seuor Padre, is the mine I spoke of. Take 
as much as you can carry, and we will return speedily 
home,” said the Indian. 

‘ The padre filled a number of bags he had brought 
with him under his cloak, till he could scarcely stagger 
onwards with the weight. While also he was collect- 
ing the treasure, avarice seized his soul, and he forgot 
the dictates of honour. He was then again blindfolded ; 
and he set forward on his return in the same manner 
as he had come. But though he had got as much 
silver as would have supplied him with food and cloth- 
ing for many years, he wanted more. He contrived, 
therefore, as he thought unperceived, to break the 
string of his rosary, and as he returned he dropped 
one bead, then another, hoping thus to trace his way 
by means of them back to the mine. At last he reached 
home, congratulating himself on his cleverness. Of 
what use, he thought, is all that silver to the Indians ? 
They are not the better for it, but I shall know how to 
spend it. He was eager to set out the next morning, 
when just as he was leaving his house, the Indian 
stepped in at his door. 

‘ “ Ah, Seiior Padre, I am come to see how you are 
after your long walk,” said the Indian, smiling. 

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MY WANDERINGS WITH MANGO. 171 

answered the padre. “ I am just going out to take 
another.” 

‘“I hope it. may be a pleasant one, Seuor Padre,” 
observed the Indian. “ But I forgot — I came to return 
you your rosary, which you dropped last night.” 

‘ And to the dismay of the padre, the Indian gave 
him all the beads which he had carefully collected. 
The padre had nothing to say for himself; but the 
Indian did not utter any other rebuke, though he never 
again offered to bring him any more silver ore.^ 

‘ I think the Indian behaved very well ; but I can 
find no excuse for the padre,’ I remarked. 

With similar stories, which he told with far more 
spirit than I have at this distance of time been able to 
give to them, Pedro endeavoured to divert my mind 
from dwelling on the thoughts which he saw oppressed 
it. He certainly succeeded better than I could have 
expected. 

Our road led us over a lofty height, at the summit 
of which we halted to rest ourselves and our mules. 
As we were sitting on the ground, and employed in 
eating our dinner, we observed a large condor high 
above us in the air. He approached us with out- 
stretched wings, and at first I thought that he had 
been attracted by the provisions we carried, and that 
he was about to attack us. I cocked a gun Manco 
had given me, and prepared to shoot him should he 
come near us ; but he passed beyond us, and presently 
he pounced down on the ground at some distance off. 
Instead, however, of his rising again with his prey in 
his talons as we expected, we saw him violently flap- 
ping his wings ; and, to our great surprise, directly after- 
wards he was surrounded by a number of Indians, who 


172 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


began to strike him about the head with sticks to keep 
him quiet. Our curiosity induced us to run as fast as 
we could towards the spot, when we found that the 
condor had been caught in a trap laid on purpose for 
him. A hole had been dug in the ground, over which 
had been spread a fresh cowhide, with parts of the flesh 
still adhering to it. Underneath this an Indian had 
concealed himself with a rope in his hand. The condor, 
attracted by the smell of the flesh, had darted down on 
the hide, when the Indian below had firmly bound his 
claws together, and held on with all his might, the 
cowhide protecting him from the attacks of the bird’s 
beak. The other Indians had been concealed near the 
spot to help their companion. They quickly secured 
the monster bird, and prepared to carry him off in 
triumph to their village. At first when we appeared, 
they looked suspiciously at us ; but after Pedro had 
spoken to them, their looks brightened up, and they 
invited us to accompany them to their dwellings, which 
were on the other side of the height. 

We gladly accepted their invitations, for they lived 
near the road we wished to pursue. I have so often 
spoken of the wretchedness of Indian huts, and of the 
coarseness of the food, that I need not describe them. 
They were no exceptions to the general rule. The 
scene before them was wild and dreary. At some 
distance off appeared a mass of long rushes, beyond 
which extended a sheet of water, the opposite shore of 
which was scarcely visible. Numerous flocks of water- 
fowl were hovering over the marshy banks of this 
lake, which I found was of very considerable extent, 
though inferior to that of Titicaca, the largest in South 
America. 


BIT WANDERINGS WITH MANGO. 


173 


Pedro and I were sitting round a fire in the hut 
with our Indian hosts, before retiring to rest, when a 
loud moaning noise was heard in the distance. The 
Indians regarded each other with terrified looks. 

‘What can cause that noise?’ I inquired of Pedro. 
He shook his head, and turned to one of the Indians. 

‘It forebodes evil to the herdsmen,’ answered the 
man. ‘ In yonder lake, which is so profound that no 
plummet has ever reached the bottom, there dwell huge 
monsters, neither beasts nor fish. No man has ever 
seen one near ; but at night, when the moon is shining, 
they have been descried at a distance, prowling about 
in search of prey. When that noise is heard, which 
has just sounded in our ears, it is a sign that they 
have attacked some of the cattle feeding in the sur- 
rounding pastures ; and to-morrow morning there is no 
doubt several will be found missing.’ 

‘But cannot the monsters be caught or killed?’ I 
asked. ‘ Surely it is foolish in the herdsmen to allow 
the cattle to be killed with impunity.’ 

‘ Who would venture to do it ? ’ exclaimed the 
Indian with a look of horror. ‘ Besides, I told you, 
Seuor, that no one has seen them near enough to 
observe their form ; and sure I am that neither stones 
cast from slings, nor arrows shot from bows, nor bullets 
from guns, would pierce their hides.’ 

‘ I should like to encounter one of these monsters,’ 
I replied. ‘ A ball from a good rifle would soon enable 
me to judge what they are hke.’ 

‘ May Heaven protect you from such an adventure ! ’ 
answered the Indian. 

‘ If I ever return here, we will see.’ 

I said this because I very much doubted the exist- 


174 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

ence of the monsters he spoke of, and suspected that 
the meanings we heard arose most probably from some 
of the cattle which had sunk into the marshes near 
the lake, and were unable to extricate themselves. In 
every part of the world where I have since been, I have 
heard similar legends, and have in most instances been 
able to discover a very probable explanation of the 
mystery. 

The rays of the sun were shining on the waters of 
the lake as we passed one end of it the next morning, 
and it now wore a far more cheerful aspect than it had 
done on the previous evening. The two next days of 
our journey were one continual descent, and we were 
now approaching the ruined village, near which the 
body of the faithful Ithulpo was said to have been dis- 
covered, and in which I supposed my parents had taken 
refuge. 

I could no longer attend to any of Pedro!s remarks, 
but rode on sadly and moodily, dreading to find the 
truth of the dreadful report I had heard, confirmed, 
yet not daring to believe in its possibility. It was now 
necessary to proceed with great caution, for we were 
in a part of the country which had been inhabited 
chiefly by Spaniards ; but we found that they had all 
fled or been destroyed, and the blackened ruins of 
farm-houses and hamlets met our sight every league we 
proceeded. Here and there we encountered an Indian, 
of whom Pedro made inquiries ; but from no one could 
we obtain information to guide us. 


DREADFUL SURMISES. 


175 


CHAPTER XL 

DREADFUL SURmSES — TAKEN PRISONERS BY INDIANS. 

We were passing over a somewhat level country, when 
Pedro pointed to a line of blackened walls and charred 
timbers in the distance. 

‘ Yonder is the place you seek, Senor,’ he said, in a 
tone of commiseration which touched my heart. ‘ You 
are seeking for parents whom you have known, and 
their memory is dear to you. I, alas! have never 
known any parents to love, and my heart is vacant.’ 

I knew he wished to utter words of consolation, but 
I have no recollection of what more he said. My 
mind was too full of the work before me. I urged on 
my mule, for I felt an eager desire to search through 
the village; yet what information could I expect to 
find in those deserted ruins ? As we approached, we 
saw a wretched half-starved dog skulking among the 
walls. He looked at us to see if we were friends whom 
he knew, and then fled away. Not a human being was 
to be seen. We passed through the desolate streets. 
Some of the walls had been cast down, and the roofs 
of all the houses had been burned and fallen in. The 
church only was standing ; but the doors were open, 
and the interior presented a scene of horror which baffles 
description. Numbers of the unfortunate inhabitants 
bad fled there as their last place of refuge, but it had 


176 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

proved no sanctuary to them. In every part of the 
building, on the steps of the altar, and by the altar 
itself, were seen heaped together the mangled remnants 
of the forms of human beings. Their dresses showed 
that they were those of men, women, and children; 
but weeks had now passed since they were slain, and 
their bones alone remained. The beasts and even the 
birds of prey had been there, or it would have been 
impossible to enter into that charnel-house. 

Pale and trembling I wandered through it, scarcely 
able to draw breath from the foul air which filled the 
place ; but no sign of those I sought could I find. At 
length I staggered out again into the open air, where 
Pedro, who was holding our mules, waited for me. I 
determined next to search each of the houses separately. 

As we were wandering through one of them, an ob- 
ject met my sight which riveted my attention. It was 
a silk handkerchief. With a trembling hand I picked 
it up. It was exactly such a one as I remembered to 
have seen my sister Lilly wear round her neck. It was 
of an ordinary sort; a little three-cornered handker- 
chief with a pink fringe. There might be many such 
in the country. This might have been the property of 
some Spanish girl or young Cbola, for there was no 
mark on it to distinguish it ; but still, as I looked at it, 
I felt almost confident that it had been my sister’s. 
How it had escaped being burned or trampled on I 
could not tell. Perhaps it had been dropped near one 
of the outside walls, which the fire did not reach, and 
had been blown by the wind into the corner of the room, 
where I found it. Pedro was of the same opinion. I 
placed it carefully in my bosom, though how it could 
prove of use I could not tell. We searched and searched 


DREADFUL SURMISES. 


177 


in vain thrcugli every other house in the village ; but 
no other trace or sign which I could recognise could we 
find. The whole day was thus spent, and night almost 
•surprised us while we were still in the ruins. 

Kear the village was a meadow, where Pedro had 
led our mules to feed ; and we had, besides, found some 
Indian corn, which we had given them ; so they were 
in good condition to proceed. But after the example of 
the state of the country we had seen, it was impossible 
to say where we could hope to find shelter for ourselves. 
I asked Pedro if he would object to remain in the ruins 
all night. 

‘ Oh, may the good saints defend us from such a 
thing ! ’ he answered with a look of dismay. ‘ After the 
sights we have seen, how can you think of doing so, 
Senor ? * 

‘ The dead cannot hurt us, you know ; and we can 
easily fortify ourselves against any attack of wild 
beasts,’ I answered. ‘ We will shut our mules up in a 
room of one of the houses where no people have been 
killed ; and we can sleep in a room next to them. We 
shall find plenty of timber to barricade ourselves in, 
and they will give us good warning if any wild beast 
comes near to attempt an entrance.’ 

For a long time Pedro was not convinced of the 
wisdom of my proposal ; or rather, his dislike to the 
idea of remaining prevented him from being so. His 
objections were very natural ; and I own that had I 
not been desirous of making a further search in the 
neighbourhood the following morning, I would myself 
have much rather proceeded, if there had been sufficient 
daylight to enable us to find another resting-place. 
This was, however, now totally out of the question ; 

M 


173 


MANCO, THE rERUTIAN CHIEF. 


SO Pedro was obliged to accede to my wishes. I fixed 
upon a house on the outskirts of the village, which had, 
it appeared, been the residence of a person of superior 
wealth and rank. Some of the rooms had been but 
little injured. One of them I selected as our abode for 
the night, and an adjoining one as a stable for our 
mules. Having collected some food for our trusty little 
animals, we brought them inside the house. We first 
cleared away the rubbish out of the rooms, and then 
placed against the doorway some timbers and planks, 
which we tore up from the floors, so as effectually to 
prevent the ingress of any wild beasts. 

By the time we had thus fortified ourselves it had 
become perfectly dark ; and I must own that a feeling 
such as I had never before experienced, crept over me, 
as I thus found myself shut up with my young com- 
panion in that abode of the dead. I knew that I must 
arouse myself, or it would master me completely. 

‘ Come, Pedro,’ said I, ‘ we must now light a fire. It 
will serve to cheer our spirits, and to keep us warm, for 
I feel the evening chilly.’ 

The floor ( f the room we were in was composed of 
bricks, so that we could make our fire in the middle of 
it ; and as there was no roof, we had no fear of being 
incommoded by the smoke. From among the rubbish 
I managed to pick out several smaller bits of timber, 
which had escaped being totally consumed, and some of 
the dry grass we had collected for our mules served as 
lighter fuel to kindle a flame. Having thus collected 
sufficient materials, we piled some of them up in the 
middle of the room, and kept the rest in a corner, to 
feed our fire as it required. 

A flame was soon kindled; and as it burned up 


DREADFUL SURMISES. 


179 


brightly, it contributed very much to banish the feel- 
ings which had before oppressed me, aided, I suspect, 
by the exertions which it had been necessary to make 
to collect the fuel. I have always found that exertion 
both of mind and body is the best, I may say the only, 
remedy for melancholy and foreboding thoughts. The 
light enabled us to find more fuel, which wo agreed 
it would be requisite to husband with care, so as to 
make it last till sunrise. We had no wish to be again 
left in darkness. 

The light, however, served to show us more clearly 
the desolation of the place. The walls were bare, and 
not a particle of furniture had been left ; for the 
Indians had carried off from the village everything that 
had escaped the flames. Above our heads a few charred 
timbers only remained of the roof, beyond which the 
stars were seen shining from out of the dark sky. 

‘We might have been very much worse off,’ I ob- 
served to Pedro, as we sat by the fire eating the pro- 
visions which we had brought with us. After supper 
we lay down in the cleanest spot we could find, and 
tried to recruit our strength by sleep. 

I was awoke by Pedro’s hand touching my shoulder. 
I looked up, at first scarcely able to remember where I 
was. He had just before thrown some chips on the 
fire, which made it blaze brightly. I saw that he had 
his fingers on his lips to enforce silence, so I did not 
speak ; but his looks showed that something had 
alarmed him. I soon discovered the cause, from hear- 
ing the footsteps of several persons in the neighbour- 
hood. I was about to inquire, in a whisper, who they 
could be, when I observed him glance up at the top 
of the wall above us. I turned my eyes in the same 


180 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

direction, and then I saw, by the light of the fire, the 
elf-like locks and red-coloured countenance of a wild 
Indian, who was gazing down upon us. He looked as 
much surprised to find us there as we were to see him. 

‘ Pray, friend, who are you, and what do you seek 
here ? ’ asked Pedro, in the Quichua language. 

The stranger made no answer, and presently after- 
wards a dozen other Indians sprung up to the top 
of the wall. They were dressed and painted as the 
warriors of a distant tribe, dwelling in the northern 
part of the country. After looking at us for an 
instant, they fixed their arrows in their bows, and 
were drawing the strings when Pedro shouted out 
to them : — 

‘Stay your hands. We are friends of the Indians, 
and under the protection of the Inca Tupac Amaru.’ 
At the same time he held up a gold ring with which 
Manco had provided him. 

The Indians evidently supposed we were Spaniards, 
and were accordingly about to put us to death. They 
did not seem inclined to alter their purpose, for they 
drew their arrows to the heads ; and I believed that 
our last moments had arrived, when the name of the 
Inca restrained them. 

‘We will hear what account you have to give of 
yourselves,’ said the man who had at first appeared, 
letting himself down from the top of the wall. He 
was followed by the rest, and others who had climbed 
up ; and we were soon surrounded by a large body of 
Indians. I endeavoured to look as unconcerned and 
as little alarmed as possible, so I re-seated myself on 
the block of wood which I had before occupied. One 
who seemed to have authority over the rest, took a 


TAKEN PRISONERS BY INDIANS. 


181 


seat opposite to me, while they stood round the room. 
I^edro forthwith began to give a history of our pro- 
ceedings, and the cause of our present wanderings. 
The chief, after some time, appeared satisfied. 

‘ W e have vowed to destroy all the white men we 
meet,’ he exclaimed; ‘but though your skins are white, 
your hearts are with the Indians, and we will not 
injure you.’ 

On hearing these words, I breathed more freely ; 
for I had my misgivings that the Indians would not 
believe Pedro, and would torture us before they put 
us to death, as they had lately too often treated their 
white captives. We soon became on very friendly 
terms. The chief told Pedro that he and his followers 
belonged to the very war party which had destroyed* 
the village ; that they had swept the country for some 
way farther to the north, burning all the houses, and 
murdering all the white inhabitants they encountered ; 
and that now, laden with booty, they were returning 
to their own homes in the far distant interior. The 
army now lay encamped at a little distance from the 
village, in a strong position, where they could not be 
surprised by any Spanish force which might be near 
them. He and his band had, he said, come to the 
place for the purpose of carrying off some of the spoil 
which they had concealed when last there. They had 
found it undisturbed, and were consequently in a very 
good humour. 

I told Pedro to endeavour to learn from them, 
whether they had heard of any English people being 
in the village when they attacked it. Pedro put the 
questions I desired. 

‘ If any English people were there, or other strangers, 


182 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

they shared the fate of the rest,’ answered the chief 
with a look of fierceness. I shuddered as he spoke. 
‘It was not a time for us to distinguish people. We 
had years and years of bitter cruelty and wrong to 
revenge on the heads of the Spaniards. No one 
escaped. W e came upon them in the night, suddenly 
and without warning. We surrounded the village, 
and then burst in upon them while they slept in 
fancied security, despising the poor Indians whom 
they so long had trampled on. As they rose from 
their beds and attempted to fly, we cut them down 
at the doors of their houses. We threw burning 
brands upon the roofs, and closed them in till the 
fire had destroyed them. We drove them shrieking 
through the streets, and shot them down with our 
arrows. Some took refuge in the church ; but it did 
not save them. When the morning broke, not a soul 
remained alive. But we were not content. We had 
begun to taste the sweets of vengeance, and we rushed 
on through the country, burning and destroying in our 
course. We have still more work to perform. Our 
swords must not be sheathed till the Inca sits once 
more on the throne of his ancestors, and till not a 
Spaniard remains alive to boast that his people once 
held sway in the land.’ 

As I watched the countenance of the speaker, it 
wore an almost terrific expression, full of an intense 
hatred, and a desire for vengeance ; yet, before the 
outbreak, he had probably been like most other 
Indians, a mild, peaceable, and patiently suffering 
man. The account he had given of the destruction 
of the place almost banished the hope which still 
existed within my breast. Yet I resolved to per- 


TAKEN PRISONERS BY INDIANS, 


183 


severe in my search. My dismay was very great, 
when I learned from Pedro that the old chief in- 
tended to remain in the village with his followers 
tiU the morning, and then to carry us along with 
him as prisoners. 

‘ He believes our story,’ said Pedro ; ‘ but still he 
thinks that if we continue our journey, we may give 
information to the Spaniards of the road the army is 
taking. He .will, I dare say, treat us well, and release 
us when he fancies we can run no chance of injuring 
his people.’ 

The news caused me great vexation, for, though I 
had no fear that the Indians would injure us, I was 
afraid that we should be led a long way out of the 
road in which we could hope to make any effectual 
inquiries, if, indeed, further search was of any avail. 
I was anxious also to examine the country surround- 
ing the place where the body of Ithulpo was said to 
have been discovered; and I told Pedro to entreat 
the chief, before he commenced his march, to allow us 
to go out for a few hours as soon as it was light, 
promising faithfully to return. Pedro made the re- 
quest, but the old chief, when he understood the object, 
said it would be useless to grant it. 

‘Your friends were all killed,’ he said. ‘You 
search for those who are not to be found.’ 

‘ Then we must appeal to the head chief command- 
ing the army,’ I said to Pedro in Spanish. ‘ Try and 
learn who he is.’ 

After making inquiries, Pedro told me that he was 
a powerful cacique, who had assumed the title of 
Tupac Catari; and though he was, as most of the 
caciques were, descended from an Inca noble, he was 


184 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

only in a remote degree connected with Tupac Amarn. 
He did not consider himself in any way under the 
orders of the Inca, and was inclined, it appeared, to 
set up as the Inca himself. It argued ill for the 
Indian cause, that there should be this division in 
their forces. From what I heard of him, I was afraid 
that there was very little probability of his granting 
the request which had been denied by his inferior, the 
old chief. 

‘ If, then, we are to be treated as prisoners, we must 
endeavour to make our escape should any opportunity 
present itself,’ I whispered to Pedro, whom I had drawn 
aside. 

Not to excite the suspicions of our captors, I pre- 
tended to be contented with the arrangement, when I 
found that there was no chance of altering the old 
chiefs determination ; and returning to the fire, I sat 
down, desiring Pedro to say that I was very tired, 
and wished to be allowed to sleep till daylight. The 
Indians apparently finding themselves in tolerably com- 
fortable quarters, wrapped their ponchos round them, 
and lay down on the ground round the fire, to follow 
my example. I was, however, too much excited to 
sleep, and had lost myself in forgetfulness but a very 
short time when daylight appeared, and the whole party 
sprung to their feet. 

Pedro and I were allowed to mount our mules, and 
accompanied by the Indians, who bore the spoils they 
had collected, set out to join the main body, which was 
already on its march to the northward. We came in 
sight of them about three miles to the west of the 
village, as they were passing over a wide sandy plain, 
bordered by a range of thickly wooded hills. There 


TAKEN PKISONERS BY INDIANS. 


185 


appeared to be about thirty thousand of them, — a body, 
as far as numbers were concerned, fully able to com- 
pete with any Spanish force which could be sent against 
them ; but they were ^ in a very undisciplined and dis- 
organized state, and were, from what I heard, more 
intent on obtaining plunder, and on destroying the de- 
fenceless whites, than on pushing their fii’st successes 
with vigour against the common enemy. There were 
some four or five hundred horsemen among them armed 
with spears ; the rest v^ere infantry, who carried slings, , 
and bows, and axes, and heavy wooden clubs. The 
cavalry guarded the flanks, and the footmen marched 
in separate bodies under their respective chiefs, with 
banners at their head ; but there were a great number 
of stragglers, and, as far as my eye could reach, I 
observed small bodies who appeared to be scouring the 
country in search of plunder or provisions. The booty 
was distributed among the soldiers, each of whom bore 
a load on his back, consisting of woollen and other 
goods, household utensils, furniture, and clothing of 
every description. 

The chief, Tupac Catari, rode at the head of his 
forces, surrounded with banner-bearers. He was a 
fierce, wild-looking Indian, with a forbidding expression 
of countenance ; and his dignity was not increased by 
his having dressed himself in the uniform of a Spanish 
ofiScer, whose cocked hat he wore with the points rest- 
ing on his shoulders. The lower parts of his legs were 
bare, except that he had sandals on the soles of his 
feet, fastened with leather thongs, and a huge pair of 
silver spurs to his heels. His wife came behind him 
in a sort of litter, covered witli coloured cotton, and 
supported on men’s shoulders. His followers were 


186 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

habited in every variety of costume, which they had 
picked up in their expedition; a few of the better 
organized bodies only retaining their national costume. 
Is this, I thought, the sort of character who is to aid 
in the liberation of his native land ? 

A force like his may, as it has proved, have the 
power to lay desolate a country, and to murder the 
defenceless inhabitants ; but will they be able to sustain 
an attack from disciplined troops, when such are sent 
against them ? The general — for so I may call him — 
halted when we appeared, and made inquiries of the 
old chief about us. A long conversation then ensued, 
the result of which was that we were ordered to ac- 
company him. He wanted a secretary, we were told, 
to write despatches to the other chiefs, and to com- 
municate with the Spaniards; and he thought that 
either Pedro or I should be able to answer his pur- 
pose. In vain we pleaded the necessity of proceeding 
as we had intended. He refused to listen to any appeal 
we could make. 

‘You may consider yourselves fortunate in not losing 
your lives,’ he at last answered. ‘We have sworn to 
Idll every white man we meet ; and you have to thank 
your friend Manco, on account of the love all the 
Indians bear him, that we have not killed you ; so be 
content and say no more.’ 

The old chief who had first taken us prisoners, find- 
ing himself thus unceremoniously deprived of our com- 
pany, left us to our fate, and for some time we rode on 
in silence among the general’s body-guard. Every man 
in the army seemed to be talking at the same time. 
They were, I found, boasting to each other of the deeds 
of valour they had performed, of the enemies they had 


TAKEN PRISONEES BY INDIANS. 


187 


slain, and of the booty they had collected. The general 
after some time called us to his side, and asked ns if 
we could inform him what the Spaniards were about, 
and whether they were likely to attack the Indian 
armies. 

‘ Tell him,’ I said to Pedro, ‘ that the Spaniards will 
never consent to yield up the country to the natives. 
They are only waiting to assemble their forces, to en- 
deavour to regain the places they have lost. If they 
have not men enough here, they will send to Spain for 
more, and for guns and artillery, and all the munitions 
of war. They will soon appear, well armed and dis- 
ciplined ; and a hundred of their troops will be a match 
for a thousand or even two thousand Indians. The 
only chance of success the Indians have is to be 
united, to act under one chief, and to follow up each 
advantage, till they have driven the Spaniards from 
their shores.* 

‘Very good,* said the general. ‘I will be that 
chief, and will follow the advice of the English 
stranger.* 

And he drew himself up proudly in his saddle, as if 
he was about to become Inca of Peru. I saw after 
this, that any advice I could offer to him would be 
thrown away ; besides, I doubted much whether I was 
justified in offering encouragement to the Indians. I 
felt that they had been most unjustly and cruelly 
treated, and certainly desired to see them obtain their 
emancipation ; but at the same time, I saw that there 
was little or no hope of their ever regaining their 
country, or restoring the ancient dynasty of the Incas ; 
and that the attempt would only cause a vast amount 
of bloodshed, and too probably end in their total de- 


188 BIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

struction. As an Englishman, too, I regretted that 
I had no business to interfere in a cause which, just 
as it certainly was, if maintained properly, was not 
my own; and I resolved, therefore, to be silent for 
the future. 

The dreadful cruelties committed by the Indians had 
horrified me; and the romance with which I had at 
first invested their brave attempt at emancipation, had 
vanished on a nearer inspection of the means by which 
they were carrying it out. I never did and never can 
believe that the end justifies the means. God’s right- 
eous laws must be implicitly obeyed ; and no reasons 
which we may offer can excuse us for neglecting them. 
Yet we may be allowed to believe that He weighs our 
actions of good or evil by the knowledge we possess 
through the light of His word ; and acts which, com- 
mitted by us, might be unpardonable, may, when per- 
petrated by ignorant savages, be overlooked through 
His mercy in the day of judgment. 

From the time that the Christian and the civilised 
Europeans first landed in Peru, they treated the igno-. 
rant and heathen natives with the greatest cruelty ; and 
thus taught by their task-masters, they, on the first 
opportunity, showed that they had not forgotten the 
lessons they had received, but treated them as they 
.themselves had been treated. Had the Spaniards 
taught the Peruvians mercy, justice, and piety, by 
their own example, this terrible outbreak would never 
have occurred, and the weaker race would have be- 
come willing servants to the stronger. We ought 
always to bear in mind that it is by the just adminis- 
tration of good laws, and by the conduct of the rich, 
the educated, and the powerful, that the lower orders 


TAKEN PRISONERS BY INDIANS. 


189 


are educated, as much, or even more, than by the 
lessons given them by their nominal instructors. 

Ministers of religion will preach in vain from the 
pulpit, and schoolmasters will find their efforts useless, 
unless the upper orders set a good example. I entreat 
my young friends to recollect that they belong to the 
educated classes, whose behaviour is sure to be imitated 
by those below them. If their conduct is unchristian, 
irreligious, or immoral, they will not only have their 
own sins to answer for at the day of judgment, but 
the sins of those whom they by their example have led 
astray. The dreadful excesses committed by the lower 
orders during the French Revolution were the results 
of the irreligious and immoral conduct and teaching of 
the upper classes in France. The Peruvian Indians, 
who were guilty of the terrible atrocities I have men- 
tioned, were mostly, in name at least, Christians, and 
had Christian priests ministering to them; but their 
teaching appears to have had no effect in restraining 
them from acts totally at variance with all the prin- 
ciples of Christianity. How could they, indeed, have 
faith in a creed professed by men who, from the time 
of their fii*st appearance in their country, had not 
scrupled to murder, to plunder, to ill-treat, and to 
enslave them ? 

It is worthy of remark, that when the Indians de- 
stroyed every other human being in the places they 
attacked, they in many instances saved the lives of the 
priests. I suspect, however, that they did so, not so 
much that they respected their sacred character, but 
because in their superstition they fancied they were 
possessed of supernatural powers, which might be ex- 
ercised for their punishment if they ventured to injure 


190 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

them. ' There were many enlightened and patriotic 
men among the Indians; and from all I heard of 
Tupac Amaru and his family, they were worthy of 
a happier fate than befell them. I shall have to 
describe their subsequent history as I proceed in my 
narrative. 


ANOTHER BATTLE. 


191 


CHAPTER XIL 

ANOTHER BATTLE — ^WE ARE CAPTURED BY SPANIARDS. 

It must be remembered that the war party whom 
Pedro and I were now so unwillingly compelled to 
accompany, was but an irregular portion of the Indian 
army, and that the chief commanding it was in every 
respect inferior to Tupac Amaru, and his brave sons 
Andres and Mariano, or his brother Diogo. I mention 
this, because otherwise I might give my reader a very 
unjust and incorrect history of the principal men en- 
gaged in the attempt I am describing to regain the 
long-lost liberties of the Peruvian nation. 

The forces of Tupac Catari had crossed the sandy 
plain, and ascended the woody height I have mentioned, 
when we reached a rocky defile, through which lay the 
road we were to pursue. Instead of sending on an 
advanced guard to feel the way, as a more experienced 
general would have done, the chief rode carelessly on 
at the head of his followers. Pedro and I were allowed 
to keep together, and to converse in Spanish; for I sup- 
pose that Catari thought that we should not dream of 
attempting to escape from among his numerous army. 
He was wrong, however ; for the idea of doing so was 
never absent from my mind. 

‘ Pedro,’ said I, ‘ you have been so true and faithful, 
and have shown so much regard for me, that I know 


192 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

you would not willingly desert me, and yet I do not 
like to lead you into danger unnecessarily ; but tell me, 
do you tbink we could manage to get away from these 
people?’ 

‘ 0 Senor, do not suppose I would hesitate a moment 
to serve you on account of the danger,’ he answered, in 
a tone of much feeling. ‘ What have I, without kindred 
or friends, to Hve for, that I should be afraid of risking 
my life? Yet at present I do not see what chance we 
have of escaping; though an opportunity may occur 
when we least expect it.’ 

‘Thanks, Pedro, thanks, my friend,’ I replied. ‘I 
was certain that you would be ready to aid me ; and I 
hope some day to show my gratitude to you, little as I 
am now able to do so. But do not, say that you have 
no friends. Surely Manco is your friend, and the In- 
dians among whom you have lived, and the good priest 
who educated you.’ 

‘ The good priest is dead. Manco is my friend, and 
so are the kind Indians ; but I am the child of another 
race, and though I love the Indians, my heart yearns 
for the sympathy and affection of the people from 
whom I am sprung. When I was a child I cared not 
for it ; but since I learned to read the history of my 
father’s country, and more than all, since I met you, 
Seuor, new feelings and aspirations have sprung up 
within my bosom. I cannot be content unless I am 
in the company of those who can converse, like you, 
on things beyond the narrow circle of the life I have 
hitherto led.’ 

‘ I understand you, Pedro; and I think that I should 
feel as you do,’ I said. If we can make our escape, 
you shall accompany me to other lands — we will go 


ANOTHER BATTLE. 


193 


forth together to see the great world which lies beyond 
these lofty mountains.’ 

‘ 0 Seiior, your words have given me a new life,’ he 
exclaimed enthusiastically. ‘I will follow you any- 
where you may lead, and serve you faithfully. And 
yet,’ he added in a tone of feeling, ‘ I must not leave 
the generous Manco without again seeing him ; I must 
bid farewell to my foster father and mother, and the 
Indians who protected me in my youth ; I must return 
to them once more before I go.’ 

‘ I would on no account induce you to be ungrateful, 
and I should myself be very unwilling to leave the 
country, even should I discover my family, without 
returning to bid farewell to Manco,’ I said in return. 

‘ Then we will go back to Manco as soon as we can 
escape from these people ; and we may thus with more 
speed be able to begin our travels,’ exclaimed Pedro. 

We were both very young, and ignorant of the 
great world we talked of exploring; and we little 
knew all the difficulties we might be destined to en- 
counter. The subject, once commenced, was a con- 
tinual source of interest to us, and we were never 
tired of talking about it. It served also to prevent 
my mind from dwelling on my loss, the probability 
of which I could scarcely conceal from myself. 

I have mentioned but a few of Pedro’s observations, 
for the sake of showing his character. He had bene- 
fited to the utmost from the little education which 
had been given him by the priest of whom he spoke. 
His disposition was ardent and romantic, and full of 
generous sympathies; and possessing a clear percep- 
tion of right and wrong, he was always anxious to 
do right. He had been made acquainted at an early 

N 


194 MAXCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

age with his own history; and though he loved the 
Indians, he was proud of belonging to a superior race, 
among whom his great desire was to mix as an equal. 
He was tall and well formed, with very handsome 
features, to which his amiable disposition had given a 
most pleasing expression ; so that, whether or not his 
parents were of good birth, he looked, at all events, in 
every respect the gentleman. 

In early youth, when people are thrown together 
under difficult circumstances, friendships calculated to 
endure to the end of life are quickly formed; and 
thus, during the short time we had been together, we 
had become mutually much attached; indeed, I fancied 
that no one could have been many days in the society 
of Pedro without feeling a sincere regard for him. 

So much were we absorbed iii conversation, that we 
scarcely noticed how the time flew by. The leading 
'parties of the Indians had now passed through a con- 
siderable portion of the defile, and the rear were about 
to enter it when we reached a spot more difficult and 
narrow than any we had yet arrived at. 

‘ If any of the Spanish troops were on the watch to 
intercept the Indian forces, this is the very spot they 
should select,’ I observed to Pedro. 

‘ May the saints forbid ! ’ he answered. ‘ The poor 
people would be cut to pieces, and we should suffer 
with them.’ 

‘I certainly do not wish it,’ I said; ‘though I 
think we might manage to escape in the confusion; 
but I thought of it, as it was exactly in such a spot 
as this that some months ago we were attacked by 
the Montoneros, when we were rescued by Manco and 
his followers.’ 


ANOTHER BATTLE. 


195 


‘ Oh, the Spaniards are too much disheartened and 
terrified by their late disasters to think of attacking 
the Indians,’ said Pedro. 

‘ But suppose they were to attack our captors, do 
not you think that we could manage to climb up the 
cliffs, and hide ourselves among the rocks till the 
fighting is over?’ I asked, without at all expecting 
that such a thing was likely to happen. . 

I had scarcely made the observation, when our ears 
were assailed by the loud rattle of musketry, and a 
shower of bullets flew about our heads, killing and 
wounding many of the Indians near ns. In an instant 
they were thrown into the most terrible confusion, and 
the shouts and cries of fear rent the air. Catari, and 
some of the chiefs about him, in vain endeavoured to 
lead them on to meet their concealed enemies. So 
completely were they taken by surprise, that all their 
courage deserted them. They gave way to their first 
impulse, which was to fly from the danger. The rear 
ranks turned, and the rest followed, and fled as fast as 
they could, with the intention of getting into the more 
open country they had left. The Spaniards, a strong 
body of whose troops had been lying in ambush, on 
this showed themselves, and, with their swords in their 
hands, rushed down upon the confused bands of the 
Indians. Catari, and those immediately about him, 
fought bravely, for they had not a hope of escaping. 
His people threw themselves before him, and allowed 
the Spaniards to cut them to pieces in them attempt 
to preserve the life of their chief. Pedro and I were 
fortunately at the time a little in the rear of the ad- 
vanced guard ; and we had escaped the bullets which 
had laid low many of those near us. The Indians, 


196 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

however, were so completely blocking up the narrow 
defile in their eagerness to escape, that we saw it 
would be impossible to fly in that direction. Our 
only chance of saving our lives was to put in execu- 
tion the plan I had just before been proposing. 

‘ Let us throw ourselves from our mules, and try to 
climb up the cliffs,’ I exclaimed to Pedro. 

Just then a bullet struck Catari. I saw him reel 
in his saddle, when one of his companions seized 
his horse’s bridle, and attempted to lead him out 
of the fray towards the rear. But he was mortally 
wounded; and before he could be got from among 
the combatants, he fell to the ground. His death 
was the signal for the rest to fly ; but they attempted 
to do so in vain. The Spanish soldiers pressed in 
upon them, and cutting them down without mercy, 
forced them back in confusion. A few of the Indians, 
driven to despair, still fought fiercely, and for a time 
impeded their progress, thus leaving a clear space 
near where Pedro and I stood. 

‘Now, now!’ I exclaimed to Pedro. ‘We have 
not a moment to lose. If the Spaniards reach us 
before we have time for explanation, they will kill us. 
Jump from your mule and follow me.’ 

I had observed that on one side the cliff was con- 
siderably broken, and that a number of jutting rocks 
would enable us to climb up to the summit, and afford 
us some sort of shelter in the meantime. I threw my- 
self out of my saddle as I spoke, and Pedro following 
my example, we ran as fast as we could towards the 
rocks. It was the work of a moment to spring up 
them ; there was an abundance of shrubs and creeping 
plants to help us. By laying hold of them, we drew 


ANOTHER BATTLE. 


197 


ourselves from rock to rock. Our lives we felt de- 
pended on our activity ; and under ordinary circum- 
stances I do not think we could have accomplished the 
task. We had thus climbed up some forty feet or 
so in a shorter time than I have taken to describe 
it, when we reached a platform, above which, as we 
looked upwards, it seemed impossible that we could 
ascend. There was, however, the branch of a tree, 
which grew in a cleft of the rock. 

‘Take me on your shoulders, and I think I can 
reach it,’ I cried to Pedro. 

He stooped down, and, as I sprung on his shoulders, 
he lifted me up till I caught hold of the branch. I 
drew myself up, and succeeded in throwing my body 
over the bough. I then, holding on tight with one 
hand, gave him the other, and lifted him up till he 
could catch hold of it also. The branch cracked and 
bent with our united weight; but we were anxious 
enough had it not done so, for we were now fully 
exposed to the sight of the combatants below. They 
were, however, too much engaged to observe us. When 
Pedro no longer required my assistance, I lifted myself 
till I could reach the branch of another tree still higher 
up, and from thence sprung on to the rock we wished 
to gain. Pedro kept close behind me, and imitating 
my example, we in a short time found ourselves behind 
a rock overshadowed by trees, where, from among the 
branches which hung down close to it, we could com- 
mand a view of the greater part of the ravine without 
being seen, though we were not high enough to escape 
any stray shots fired in our direction. 

By the time we got there, the last of the Indians 
who had stood their ground, were either killed or 


198 MANGO, THE PEKUVIAN CHIEF. 

wounded; and the Spanish troops swept along the 
defile like a mountain torrent, overthrowing all they 
encountered in their course. Their shouts of triumph, 
and the shrieks of the Indians, reached our ears with 
terrible distinctness where we stood. During our as- 
cent we had heard nothing; even the rattle of the 
musketry was unheeded. Now and then the Spaniards 
halted to load, and they again sent forth a volley, 
which in that narrow space took terrible effect ; and 
once more they advanced to the charge. The Indians 
did not once attempt to rally, but fled like a flock of 
sheep chased by dogs; those in the rear falling the 
first victims, and the conquerors passing over their 
prostrate bodies. The rout was most complete; and 
over the distance which we could see from where we 
stood, it appeared that many thousands had been 
killed. Every foot of the ground was covered with 
them, and the conquerors had literally to wade through 
their blood as they rushed to the work of destruction. 
It was a dreadful sight ; but still we could not with- 
draw our eyes from it. We were considering what we 
should next do ; and in order to obtain a better view 
of the country beyond the defile, to judge whether we 
should proceed in that direction, I chmbed up to a 
higher part of the rock, supposing that all the Spaniards 
had passed by ; when, to my dismay, I saw some fifty 
men or so drawn up across the road. They were 
posted there evidently to guard the entrance of the 
defile, and to prevent their companions from being 
attacked in the rear by any fresh body of Indians. 
Though I was only exposed for a moment, they saw 
me ; and as I jumped down several shots rattled 
against the rock. Their voices shouting to us, and 


ANOTHER BATTLE. 


199 


ordering us to come to them, warned us that we could 
hope no longer to remain concealed. We, however, 
were in a very secure position; and we judged, from 
the difficulty we had in getting there, that they were 
not at all likely to be able to climb up to us. 

‘What is to be done now, Pedro?’ I asked. ‘Do 
you think we could manage to scramble up among the 
trees, and so escape over the top of the cliffs?’ 

‘ Perhaps we might,’ he answered, looking up to 
examine the trees above us. ‘ But what should we do 
when we got there? We should be without our mules 
or provisions or arms, and a long way from any habita- 
tion where we might obtain shelter. We should also 
very likely fall into the power of some of the broken 
parties of Catari’s army, dispersed by the Spaniards ; 
and they, enraged by the disaster which has befallen 
them, would, seeing that we were whites, kill us with- 
out asking us any questions.’ 

Pedro’s arguments were very strong; but still 1 
thought we should be only falling from the frying-pan 
into the fire, if we put ourselves into the power of the 
Spaniards. While we were still discussing what we 
should do, we heard them again calling to us. 

‘ Come down, you Indian thieves, come down and be 
shot, or we must chmb up after you,’ they shouted. 

‘ More easily said than done,’ observed Pedro ; ‘ but 
do not let us show ourselves, or they are very likely to 
shoot us without further questioning. If we could 
make them hear us from where we are, we might tell 
them that we are whites, who had been taken prisoners 
by the Indians.’ 

‘Stay then,’ said I, going to the side of the rock 
nearest to where the Spaniards stood, keeping my body 


200 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

carefully sheltered behind it, I put my head among the 
leaves, so that they could not see me, and shouted 
out — 

‘We are friends! we are friends! — whites, escaped 
from the Indians. We were afraid you would mistake 
us for enemies, so we hid ourselves.’ 

‘ If that is the case,’ said an officer, stepping forward, 
‘ come down, we will not hurt you.’ 

‘What shall we do?’ said I to Pedro. ‘We are 
safe where we are for the present, for their bullets can- 
not reach us ; and I am certain no Spanish soldier will 
be able to climb up in the way we did to this spot.’ 

‘We shall get very hungry though, if they try to 
starve us out,’ he answered ; ‘ besides, it will look as 
if we were guilty of some crime if we appear afraid of 
coming down.’ 

‘ There is no help for it, I see,’ was my reply. ‘ W e 
must put a good face upon the matter. Senor officer,’ 
I shouted, ‘your men have already shown that they 
can aim very correctly, and we would rather not run 
the risk of another peppering ; may I beg that you will 
take care that they do not fire at us by mistake. If 
we have your word for it, we will descend, as you 
desire.’ 

‘I pledge you the word of a Castilian that they shall 
not fire at you,’ answered the officer. 

‘ That satisfies us ; we will descend,’ I shouted back. 
‘Come, Pedro, we must take care not to break our 
necks though, which we shall do if we slip,’ I said, as 
I swung myself on to a bough of the nearest tree below 
the rock. 

It is nearly always more difficult to descend a cliff 
than to climb up ; as in the former case one cannot see 


CAPTURED BY SPANIARDS. 


20i 


Inhere one’s feet are to rest ; and one may chance to 
find one’s self on a jutting ledge, from whence the height . 
is too great to leap off to the next standing-place below, 
and one has to climb up again to search for another 
way down. We had the advantage of knowing the 
rocks on which we were to rest ; yet our descent took 
much more time than had our ascent. At one place 
Pedro had to hold fast by a tree while he let me down ; 
and I, in return, had to grasp firmly a jutting rock, and 
to catch him as he dropped down to me. At length, 
with no slight exertion and risk, we reached the bottom, 
where we found the Spanish officer and several of his 
men, who had been watching us with some admiration, 
and wondering, as they told us, how we had contrived 
not to break our necks. They would scarcely believe 
that we had got up by the same way. 

‘I thought none but monkeys could climb such a 
place,’ observed the officer. 

‘We English have a way of doing extraordinary 
things when we try,’ I replied, trying to look as uncon- 
cerned as possible. 

‘English, are you indeed?- I thought you must 
be so.’ 

‘Yes, Sehor, I am an Englishman at your service,* 
I said ; for I had agreed with Pedro that it would be 
better to give a correct account of ourselves, than to 
attempt any deception. 

There is an old saying — ‘ Tell the truth and shame 
the devil.’ Now, although there can be no doubt that 
there are occasions when concealment is excusable, yet 
these are very rare exceptions, which occur but seldom 
in most men’s lives ; and as a general rule a strict ad- 
herence to the truth is the only just and safe course, 


202 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


even though it may apparently lead one into a diffi- 
culty. There is something degrading in a falsehood or 
prevarication, which must injure the self-respect of a 
man of proper feeling. It is a sin ! There is no dis- 
guising it. People often tell falsehoods to conceal what 
they have done wrong, but that does not make the sin 
less ; it is only adding one sin to another. I say — and 
I know that am right — Tell truth, and stand the con- 
sequences. 

I therefore told the officer my true history. How 
my father’s house had been taken possession of by the 
Spanish troops; how the Indians had attacked and 
burned it ; and how they had carried me off desperately^ 
wounded. Then I described how I had been nursed by 
an Indian and his wife among the mountains till I had 
recovered, when the dreadful report reached me of the 
destruction of my family ; and how the Indian had 
allowed me to set out for the purpose of discovering 
what had really been their fate, when, in the course of 
my search, we had been captured by Catari and his 
followers. The officer seemed much interested by the 
account I gave him, and to feel real compassion for my 
loss. 

‘ And the youth with you, who is he ? ’ he asked. 

I told him, a Spaniard, who in his childhood had 
been carried off by the Indians, and educated by the 
good priest of their village. 

‘ It is a very strange story you tell me,’ he remarked. 

‘ However, I believe you, for your face assures me that 
you speak the truth. You both must now accompany 
me to the place where I am ordered to wait with my 
men for the return of the rest of the troops. I hear 
the bugles sounding the recall, and they probably have' 


CAPTURED BY SPANIARDS. 


203 


by this time completely dispersed all the Indians who 
remained together ; but their orders were not to ven- 
ture beyond the defile, lest the brigands should re- 
assemble and cut them off. We must march at once, 
for the colonel commanding our force will soon be 
there.’ 

I was very well satisfied with his manner of speaking, 
and felt certain that we should be kindly treated. For- 
tunately for us, our mules had managed to get out of 
the way of the troops as they passed by. With much 
sagacity they had, when we jumped off their backs, 
crept into a wide crevice in the cliffs, and we found 
them close to the spot feeding on the leaves of some 
shrubs which grew among the rocks. On our claiming 
them as our property, the officer allowed us to mount 
them ; and he invited us to ride by his side at the head 
of his men. His questions were sometimes very puz- 
zling, for I resolved not to give him any information 
which might prove injurious to the Indians. I could 
not, however, deny that I had seen a large Indian force 
collected very different to that of Catari ; and I warned 
him, that should the Spaniards ever meet it, they would 
find a victory far more difficult than the one they had 
just achieved. 

‘ Do you think you could lead us to the place where 
this army you speak of is encamped ? ’ he asked sud- 
denly, after a considerable silence. 

‘ Senor,’ I replied, with a look of indignation, ‘ has 
anything I have said induced you to believe that I could 
be capable of so dishonourable and ungrateful an 
action ? The Indians treated me with mercy and kind- 
ness. Is such the return you would expect an honest 
man to make ? ’ 


204 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘ Why, no,* he replied i 
‘ to confess the truth, I should not expect you to do 
so willingly, and I would myself rather not be asked to 
do such a thing ; but I am sorry to tell you that there 
are others, my superiors, who are not so hkely to 
pay respect to your scruples ; and I am afraid that 
they will insist on your acting as our guide if it is 
thought expedient to march against the new made 
Inca.* 

‘ But surely I have the power to refuse to do any 
such thing,* I exclaimed indignantly. 

‘ But you might be compelled to do it,’ he urged. 
‘ It would be dangerous for you to refuse. Our 
generals are not in a mood to be trifled with.’ 

‘ I trust that no power could compel me to act so 
treacherous a part,’ I replied calmly. ‘ You, Senor, I 
am sure, would not so advise me.’ 

He seemed to be a man imbued with the old chival- 
rous spirit of the Castilians; and my appeal to his 
honourable sentiments pleased him. 

‘ You are a brave youth, and I will do my best to 
serve you,’ he replied. ‘ I am in duty bound to tell 
my colonel what I know, but you can assure him that 
you could not find your way back, which I think you 
probably would not be able to do.’ 

This conversation caused me much anxiety, though 
I resolved at all hazards not to betray my friends. I 
could not also but regret that I had been so incautious 
as to have allowed myself to confess that I had seen the 
army of the Inca. I should have been more on my 
guard ; and, without departing from the truth, I might 
have declined answering any questions which could 
draw the information from me. The frankness and 


CAPTUllED BY SPANIARDS. 


205 


kind manner of the officer threw me off it, however ; 
and I found myself placed in a position I had not at all 
contemplated. I received a lesson which I hope may 
be useful to any of my readers who may be placed in 
similar circumstances. The officer, whose name I found 
was Don Eduardo da Yila, and a captain of the regi- 
ment with which he was serving, was only doing his 
duty in cross-questioning me ; and I believe that he was 
very sorry that the information he had obtained was 
likely to prove injurious to me. 

We soon reached the spot he had spoken of, where 
we were to wait for his colonel. It was a rocky height 
with precipitous sides, of which a portion of only one 
was accessible, so that it was a complete natural for- 
tress. It commanded the entrance to the ravine ; and 
had the Indians possessed any knowledge of warfare, 
they would have taken another route, however circui- 
tous, rather than have attempted to pass so formidable 
a position without first ascertaining that it was not 
occupied by an enemy. It was nearly dusk, and the 
chief body of the Spanish troops had not yet returned 
from their work of bloodshed. Don Eduardo began 
to be uneasy. 

‘Can the rebels have rallied and attacked them?’ I 
heard him say to one of his inferiors. ‘ I thought I 
heard the bugles sounding as we left the ravine.’ 

‘ There can be no doubt about it. If they had been 
attacked, the sound of the firing would have reached 
us,’ was the answer. 

‘ They have probably pursued the enemy further 
than they intended,’ said Don Eduardo, walking a 
short distance off from where we stood. He was 
evidently becoming anxious on the subject. 


206 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


‘ What do you think about it?’ I asked Pedro, who 
had overheard what had been said. 

‘ It is possible that the Indians may have rallied and 
cut off the Spaniards,’ he answered. ‘Yet I do not 
think that they will have had the courage to do so. 
At first I was almost hoping it, as I thought we might 
have a better chance of escaping, but then I remembered 
that though many of the Indians might have been my 
friends, the Spaniards are my countrymen. I trust no 
disaster has befallen them.’ 

Don Eduardo and his lieutenant returned after the 
consultation ; and the latter, with a sergeant’s party, 
was ordered to proceed along the ravine, to ascertain 
what had become of the main body. We watched the 
lieutenant and his men enter the ravine and advance, till 
they were hid by a turn of the cliffs. Don Eduardo then 
called us to him, and asked us our opinion as to what 
was likely to have occurred. We both assured him 
that we did not think the Indians would have rallied. 
What we said appeared somewhat to relieve his mind, 
and sitting down on a rock, he lighted a cigar, and 
offered some to us, which we declined, as neither Pedro 
nor I smoked. The men meantime had piled their 
arms, and lighted fires to boil their cocoa and to cook 
their provisions. Some were thus employed, others 
were smoking, and others had thrown themselves on 
the ground to rest after the fatigues of the day. We 
learned that they had received notice of the march of 
Catari’s army from an Indian spy, many of whom were 
in the pay of the Spaniards. They had watched for 
them for several days, and at last the colonel command- 
ing the force had resolved to occupy the post where he 
attacked them, till they should attempt to pass. The 


CAPTUKED BY SPANIARDS. 


207 


view around the spot we occupied was very picturesque. 
It was also a very strong natural position, while its 
picturesqueness was increased by the horses and bag- 
gage mules picqueted under the trees, the gay cos- 
tumes of theii* drivers, the camp-fires, the piles of 
arms, and the groups of soldiers, in varied attitudes, 
scattered here and there. 

The sun had set and the short twilight had come 
to an end, when the tramp of men’s feet at a distance 
reached our ears. We listened anxiously. It was 
that of trained soldiers ; and in a short time we saw 
them looming through the gloom of the evening. As 
they drew near, the advanced-guard uttered a shout to 
warn us of their approach, which was responded to by 
the party on the hill Soon afterwards they appeared 
on the summit, and as they marched into the centre of 
the space, they piled their arms, and joined their com- 
rades round the fires. Each man came laden with the 
spoils they had retaken from the Indians. 

After a portion of the troops had filed by, there 
came, with two soldiers guarding each of them, some 
fifty Indians who had been taken prisoners, and pre- 
served to grace their triumph. Poor wretches, we 
found that though their lives were for the present 
spared, their fate was sealed, and that it was intended 
by a public execution to strike terror into the hearts 
of their countrymen. Those who could not move fast 
enough were dragged forward by ropes fastened to 
their wrists, or urged on at the point of the sword. 
When they halted, they were all huddled together hke 
sheep in a pen, and a strong guard placed over them 
to prevent their escape. From the words we over- 
heard, the soldiers appeared to be recounting eagerly, 


208 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

to those who had been left as a reserve, the adventures 
of the day. Pedro and I were shortly summoned by 
Don Eduardo to attend the colonel; but fortunately 
he was too tired and hungry to interrogate us closely, 
and after a few questions he dismissed us, with permis- 
sion to join several of his officers round their watch- 
fires. 

We were surprised at seeing only three or four 
wounded men ; and we learned that, with the excep- 
tion of one killed, they were the only sufferers among 
the troops. They were in high spirits, as this was tho 
first success the Spanish forces had met with since the 
commencement of the outbreak. They boasted that 
they had killed several thousands of the Indians, 
though their own loss had been so small. They had 
followed them beyond the defile, where the remainder, 
entirely broken and dispersed, had saved themselves in 
the recesses of the forest. The officers civilly invited 
us to partake of their supper, Don Eduardo having 
recommended us to their notice; and afterwards, the 
picquets having been placed, we all wrapped ourselves 
in our cloaks and lay down to sleep. 


A BATTLEFIELD AT NIGHT. 


209 


CHAPTER XIII. 

A BATTLEFIELD AT NIGHT — OUR EXPERIENCES OP A 
PERUVIAN PRISON. 

I AM not fond of dwelling on horrors; but I should 
fail to give a true picture of warfare and its effects, 
were I to neglect to describe those scenes which are 
its never-failing accompaniments. I tried to sleep; 
but at first the blaze of the fire, the voices of those 
around me, and the din of the , camp, kept me awake ; 
and when that had ceased, all the soldiers except the 
sentries, and even the Indian prisoners, having dropped 
off asleep, there came up from the depths of the moun- 
tain gorge a sound which, as I suspected its cause, 
effectually banished repose. Though rendered faint by 
distance, it came through the quiet night air with a 
distinctness which was truly terrible. I listened with 
painful attention. There were the shrieks and groans 
of human beings in their mortal agony, and the sup- 
pressed roar and hissing snarl of the fierce puma and 
the sanguinary ounce, as they disputed over their prey. 

Many Indians, I guessed too surely, had crawled, 
desperately wounded, into the crevices of the rocks, 
where they lay concealed as the Spanish troops passed 
by, and escaped instant death to suffer a lingering and 
more terrible fate at the last. All night long those 
melancholy sounds continued, and though they might 
have been heard by my companions, they did not 
o 


210 


MANCO, TEE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


appear to disturb their repose. I scarcely knew 
^Yhether to envy or commiserate their apathy. 

The night at last passed away. The soldiers started 
to their feet at the sound of the bugle’s call, a hasty 
meal was taken, baggage mules were laden, the men 
fell into their ranks, and the order to march was given. 
Pedro and I mounted our faithful little beasts, and rode 
by the side of Don Eduardo, who, after he had got the 
troops into order, called us to him. 

We descended the side of the hill, and took a direc- 
tion towards the west, very much to my satisfaction, 
for I was afraid that we should have again to pass 
through the gorge; and my heart sickened at the 
thought of the sad spectacle we should there have to 
witness. There was no road, and the ground was very 
uneven ; but the men and animals seemed accustomed 
to it, and managed to scramble along at the rate of 
about two miles an hour. We marched for about five 
hours, when we reached the bank of a river, where a 
halt was called, and the men were ordered to pile arms 
and cook their dinners, scouts being sent out to give 
notice of the approach of any Indians. The river ran 
through a broad valley, having on either side high 
cliffs, and below them grassy land sprinkled with trees. 
On the top of the cliffs was a wide belt of forest, be- 
yond which, stretched out to the south, a vast extent 
of sandy desert. As we passed over it, I observed the 
remains of numerous small canals, which Pedro in- 
formed me served in the days of the Incas to irrigate 
it, when what was now a barren plain was covered 
with fertile fields. 

The spot where we had approached the river was at 
the mouth of a narrow stream, which wound its way 


A BATTLEFIELD AT NIGHT. 


211 


down from the mountains, its course marked by a line 
of trees, which it served to nourish. While the troops 
were resting, the colonel summoned Pedro and me into 
his presence, to make more inquiries about us. I men- 
tioned that he was a very different sort of person to 
Don Eduardo. He was a stern, morose man, none of 
the kindlier sympathies of human nature finding a place 
in his bosom. He was sitting on a rock, under the 
shade of a tree, with his secretary, with paper and a 
pen in his hand, kneeling by his side, and making a 
table of the rock, ready to take notes of what we might 
say. He questioned us narrowly, and all we said was 
put down. I gave him the same account that I had to 
Don Eduardo. 

‘ And so you have been living among the Indians, 
and encouraging them in their rebellion against their 
rightful sovereign, I doubt not,’ he observed, fixing his 
piercing eyes on us. ‘ Young man, your name is not 
unfamiliar to me.’ 

I felt no little alarm on hearing these words, which 
was increased when he desired his secretary to turn to 
some notes he had in his portfolio. 

‘I thought so,’ he exclaimed. ‘You are the son of 
an Enghshman who is accused of conspiring with the 
Indians to overthrow the government of the country. 
Your father has met with his deserts, for I see that 
he and all his family were murdered by the wretched 
people he had encouraged to revolt ; but you, let me 
assure you, will not escape the punishment which is 
your due. You have been treated with too much 
leniency by us; you and your companion are now 
prisoners. Guard lead them OS’, and take care that 
they do not escape.’ 


212 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

The information so brntally given me, confirmatory 
of my worst fears, almost overcame me, and I believe 
that I should have sunk to the ground, had not the 
soldiers who were ordered to take charge of us sup- 
ported me as they led me away. I was far too -much 
absorbed by the dreadful news, the truth of which I 
could not doubt, to be able to contemplate the very 
dangerous position in which I was placed. I did not 
attempt to answer the colonel, nor to exculpate myself; 
indeed, any appeal to him would have been of no avail. 
Pedro and I were marched off, and placed by ourselves 
under the shade of a rock, where several men were 
stationed as sentries over us. The officers with whom 
we had before been associating on friendly terms seemed 
to regard us with looks of pity, but they dared not 
speak to us. When the troops again marched we 
were guarded by two soldiers, who rode by our sides 
with drawn swords, while we were not allowed to ad- 
dress each other. The time occupied by that journey 
was the most miserable portion of my life. Hope had 
almost deserted me. All those I loved best on earth 
were gone; and at the end of it I had nothing to 
expect but a long imprisonment in a loathsome dungeon, 
or perhaps death. The next evening, when the soldiers 
halted to bivouac for the night, as Pedro and I were 
sitting disconsolately on the ground at a short distance 
from each other, with our guards between us, I saw 
Don Eduardo approaching. He told the soldiers to 
withdraw, and sat down by my side. I saw by his 
manner that he had undertaken a task which was not 
altogether to his taste. 

‘ I have got permission from the colonel to speak to 
you,’ he began. ‘ He considers himself authorized not 


A BATTLEFIELD AT NIGHT^ 


213 


to act very rigorously with you if you will accede to 
his proposals.’ 

‘What are they, Don Eduardo?’ I asked, at once 
guessing their tenor. 

‘Why, he understands you have seen the army of 
the rebel chief, Tupac Amaru, and are acquainted with 
their intentions,’ he answered. 

‘ I own that I have seen large numbers of Indians 
collected together, but I am entirely ignorant of what 
they were about to do,’ I said. ‘ But pray go on, Don 
Eduardo.’ 

‘ The proposal is similar to what I made you when 
we first met,’ he replied, the colour rising to his cheeks. 
‘ If you can conduct a Spanish force to where they are 
to be found, or can contrive to put some of their chiefs 
into qur power, you and your friend shall forthwith be 
set at liberty.’ 

‘ You, I am sure, Don Eduardo, can expect but one 
reply from me to such a question, and you know that it 
is the only one which, while I remain an honourable 
man, I can give.’ 

‘I am afraid so,’ he answered, looking down much 
grieved. ‘I am to add, that if you refuse, as soon as 
we arrive at the town of S. Pablo, you will be tried and 
shot as a rebel.’ 

‘ Before I have been found guilty ? ’ I asked. 

‘ I fear your guilt in our eyes has been too well esta- 
blished by your own confession,’ he observed. ‘Let 
me advise you to think over the subject well. It is hard 
for a youth like you to die.’ 

‘ Tell me, Don Eduardo, do you believe me guilty?’ 
I asked. 

‘ You have been in communication with the Indians, 


214 MANCOj THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

and you wish them well,’ he said, avoiding an answer 
to my question. 

‘ I wish the Spaniards well, and have never instigated 
the Indians to rebel by word or deed,’ said I. ‘But 
you have not told me if you think me guilty.’ 

‘ I do not. From what I have seen of you I think 
you incapable of doing so wrong a thing,’ he replied, 
kindly taking my hand. ‘ I wish to save your life.’ 

‘ I warmly thank you for what you say, Don 
Eduardo,’ I exclaimed; ‘but- I cannot do what is 
proposed. If I am not guilty it will be more easy to 
die ; but I trust that, as an Englishman, the govern- 
ment will not venture to put me to death unless my 
guilt is clearly proved.’ 

‘ In these times no respect is paid to persons,’ he said. 

‘ You must not trust to such a hope ; y4t I would take 
a more satisfactory answer back to my colonel.’ 

‘I can send no other answer than what I have 
given,’ I replied ; ‘ you would from your heart despise 
me if I did.’ 

At this he looked very melancholy. ‘ Well, I fear it 
must be so, yet I will do all I can for you,’ he said, as 
again pressing my hand in token of his good-will, he 
rose to leave me. 

Having ordered the sentries to return to their posts, 
he went to where my companion in misfortune was 
sitting. He conversed with him for some time; and 
though I had great confidence in Pedro, I was afraid 
that he might ultimately be tempted or threatened into 
compliance with the colonel’s demands. I wronged 
him ; for I afterwards learned that he remained firm to 
his honour. The night passed away without any ad- 
venture ; and wearied out by bodily fatigue and mental 


OUR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON. 215 


anxiety, though the hard ground was my couch, I slept 
till daylight. My conscience was, at all events, clear of 
wrong, and I never recollect to have slept so soundly. 
I awoke more refreshed than I had been for some time, 
and with a lighter heart in my bosom. Even hope 
revived, though I had' little enough to ground it on. 
The air was pure and bracing, my nerves felt well 
strung, and the face of nature itself wore to my eyes a 
more cheerful aspect than it had done for many days. 
The troops advanced more rapidly than they had before 
done, and towards evening the spires of several churches 
rising from the plain, the rays of the sun lighting them 
brilliantly up, came in sight. They were in the town 
of S. Pablo, the houses in which soon after appeared. 
As we approached, a number of the Spanish inhabitants 
came out to hear the news, and seemed highly gratified 
at the result of the expedition. The unfortunate Indians 
who were brought in as prisoners, chiefly attracted 
their attention ; and I was shocked to hear the abuse 
they heaped on them. The miserable beings walked on 
with sullen and downcast looks, without deigning to 
reply. They had no hope — they had lost the day, and 
they knew the fate which awaited them. 

As we marched through the unpaved, dirty streets, 
the inhabitants came out of their houses to look at us, 
and to offer the troops refreshments and congratula- 
tions. We found the town full of people of all colours, 
of whom a large number were Indians who had refused 
to join the revolt. 

In the centre of the town was the usual large plaza 
or square ; and on one side of it was a building which 
we were told was the prison. Towards it we were at 
once conducted. One side of the square was without 


216 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

buildings, a broad stream running past it, beyond 
which were cultivated fields, and gardens divided by 
walls. In the centre was a fountain, continually throw- 
ing up a jet of crystal water — a refreshing sight in 
that climate. The prison fronted the river. On one 
side was a church, and on the other the residence of 
the governor of the town, or of some other civil func- 
tionary. On either side of the buildings I have men- 
tioned, were long rows of houses of various heights, 
though mostly of one story, very similar to those I 
have already described. Three streets, running at right 
angles to each other, led into the square. I have not 
without reason been thus particular in my description. 

The soldiers who had us in charge, led us across the 
square, amid the shouts and jeers of the people. Even 
the blacks, the half-castes, and the Indians, came to 
stare at us with stupid wonder, calling us rebels, 
traitors, and robbers. The unfortunate Indians who 
had been made prisoners, went before us. The mas- 
sive gates of the prison were thrown open, and they 
were forced within. We came last. 

My heart sunk within me as we entered those gloomy 
walls. The interior was already crowded with human 
beings, many of them Indians, found with arms in 
their hands, or suspected of an intention of joining the 
rebels. We advanced along a low, arched gallery, 
intersected by several gates; and having passed two 
of them, we turned to the left, along a narrower pas- 
sage, at the end of which we reached a small door. 
The gaoler, who showed the way with a torch, opened 
it; and, to my dismay, I saw that a steep flight of 
steps led down from it to some chambers below the 
ground. 


OUR EXPERIENCES OP A PERUVIAN PRISON. 217 

‘We are to be shut up in a dungeon, I fear,’ I 
whispered to Pedro. 

‘ So that I am with you, I care not where I am,’ he 
answered. 

Four of the soldiers followed us, to prevent our run- 
ning away, I suppose ; though we should have had but 
a poor chance of escaping even had we tried. The 
rest faced about, and marched back through the pas- 
sage. I hesitated on the top of the steps, so narrow 
and broken and dark did they look. 

‘ Come along, Seuores, come along ! ’ said the gaoler ; 
‘ but take care how you tread, for the steps are some- 
what worn, and you may chance to break your necks 
some days before their time.’ 

Though inclined to make merry at our expense, he 
held his torch so as to afford sufficient light for us to 
see our way. The soldiers laughed gruffly at his joke, 
bad as it was ; and this made him attempt one or two 
others of a similar character. 

‘The gentlemen have not perhaps been accustomed 
to live in a palace, but they will find one here, with 
plenty of servants to attend on them ; so I must beg to 
congratulate them,’ he said, chuckling as he spoke. 
‘They will have plenty of playmates, though some 
of them will not remain very long, I suspect. They 
have a way here of making a speedy clearance at 
times.’ 

We had now reached the bottom of the steps, and 
another small door, plated with iron and secured with 
two stout iron bars, appeared before us. The gaoler 
removed the bars, and taking a key from his girdle, 
opened the door. 

‘Go in there, Seuores,’ he said. ‘It is somewhat 


218 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

dark at present, but you will get accustomed to it by- 
aud-by.* 

Saying this, he forced us into the dungeon. I went 
in first, and stumbled down a couple of steps, nearly 
falling on my face. While I was holding out my hand 
to save Pedro from doing the same, the door was shut 
behind us, and barred and bolted as before. We found 
ourselves in almost total darkness, a small aperture 
near the ceiling alone affording a dim gleam of light, 
which served to show us the gloomy horrors of the 
place. Two massive pillars supported the low arched 
roof, which seemed covered with moisture. The size 
of the place we could not tell, as the darkness pre- 
vented our seeing the walls at either side. The floor 
was unpaved, and composed of damp earth strewed 
with filth. We stood for some minutes holding each 
other’s hands, without speaking, and without moving. 
We felt bewildered and stupified with the calamity 
which had befallen us. Pedro was the first to recover 
himself. 

‘ They cannot keep us here for ever,’ he said, break- 
ing the long silence. ‘ Others have been in worse 
places, and have escaped. Let us hope, Sefior, for the 
best.’ He spoke in a cheerful tone, which had a reviv- 
ing effect upon me. 

‘We will hope for the best, Pedro,’ I exclaimed. 
‘Something may occur to deliver us. We must con- 
sider, however, what we have to do. I propose that 
we first make a tour of inspection round our dominions. 
It will give us some occupation, though idleness seems 
rather encouraged here.’ 

‘ I would rather find the way out of our dominions, 
fiH you call them, than become better acquainted with 


OrR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON. 219 

them,’ said Pedro. ‘ However, I am ready to set out 
whenever you please.* 

‘We may possibly find the way out during our 
inspection,’ I remarked,' as we began slowly and 
cautiously to move round the walls of the cell. 

It was narrow but long, and extended, as I concluded, 
along part of one side of the inner court. We found 
two other pillars towards the further end, and we felt 
several rings secured in the walls, with heavy chains 
attached to them. Of their use there could be no 
doubt; and we congratulated ourselves that we were 
still allowed to have our limbs at liberty. In our 
walk we stumbled over an iron bar, and our feet 
knocked against some other rings attached to stones 
sunk in the floor. 

‘ So some of the inmates of the mansion have been 
chained down like maniacs to the ground,’ Pedro ob- 
served. ‘We are indeed fortunate in escaping such 
treatment.’ 

Though we searched most minutely, we could dis- 
cover nothing which might suggest any means oi 
escaping. We had just concluded an examination, 
and had returned to our seats, when the door of the 
dungeon was opened, and the gaoler appeared, bring- 
ing a jar of water and two loaves of brown bread. 

Pedro examined his countenance. ‘Stop,’ he ex- 
claimed, as the man was going away ; ‘ Sancho Lopez, 
I do believe you are an old friend of mine.’ 

‘ In truth yes, and you saved my life,’ answered the 
gaoler. ‘ But I must not stop — but I must not stop. 
Be at rest, I do not forget the matter.’ 

Pedro afterwards told me how he had saved the 
Spanish gaoler’s life in a snow-storm in the mountains, 


220 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

and we agreed that it was a great thing to have him 
as our friend. 

We had been in the dungeon about a fortnight, and 
though it was damp and unwholesome in the extreme, 
we did not appear to have suffered in health. 

One morning Sancho entered our cell with a cheerful 
countenance. 

‘ I bring you good news, Senores,’ he said. ‘ I have 
just received a visit from a young officer, who has, it 
appears, been making interest in your favour ; and he 
has gained permission for your removal to a more airy 
abode. He seemed very anxious about you, and said 
he pitied you very much, though he was unable to ob- 
tain your liberty, which he wished to do. I hurried 
here to tell you this, as I thought it would give you 
pleasure. I must now go back to get the chambers 
ready for you, and will return with two of the under 
gaolers to conduct you to it. One caution I have to 
give- you. Do not mind what I say to you before 
others, and never answer any of my remarks.’ 

Without waiting for our reply and thanks, Sancho 
closed the prison door, and left us to ourselves. 

‘ We have to thank Don Eduardo for this. I am 
sure he is the officer Sancho spoke of,’ I remarked. 

‘I think so also,’ answered Pedro. ‘I am glad 
that he has not asked us to pass our word not to 
escape.’ 

‘So am I,’ I observed. ‘While we were on our 
road here, I often contemplated the possibility of get- 
ting out of prison; but then I did not expect to be 
put into a dungeon like this.’ 

For some time we could talk of nothing else but the 
prospect of making our escape. 


OUR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON. 221 

Two hours or more had passed away, and Sancho 
had not returned. We knew that he would not wil- 
lingly have deceived us, but we began to be afraid 
that the governor had rescinded his permission for our 
occupying a room open to the air, and that we might 
be doomed to remain in our dungeon for weeks or 
months longer. At last we heard footsteps approach- 
ing the cell ; the door was opened, and Sancho and his 
two assistants appeared. 

‘ You are to accompany me, Seliores,’ he said, in the 
gruff tone he had used at our entrance. ‘You are 
fortunate in coming out of that place alive; though 
some I have known would rather have had to remain 
there than be obliged to march out into the square 
yonder.’ 

The assistants laughed as he said this, and we soon 
had too great a reason to know to what he alluded. 
Sancho led the way with a torch in his hand ; and his 
assistants followed, holding us tightly by the arms, as 
if we would have tried to escape from them. I certainly 
could not have done so had I tried, for when I came to 
mount the steps, I found my knees trembling under me 
from weakness, arising from being shut up so long in 
the damp dungeon, though I had till then thought 
myself as strong as ever. We traversed a number of 
passages, and mounted a second flight of steps, when 
we reached a small door plated with iron. Sancho 
opened it, and exhibited a room about six feet broad 
and eight feet long, with a window strongly barred at 
the further end. There were two chairs and a bedstead, 
with a straw mattress on it. 

‘ Put the youngsters in there,’ he said gruffly to his 
assistants. ‘ It is a room fit for an hidalgo of the first 


222 


JIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


order. They may see Biiid be seen if they choose tc 
put their noses through the gratings.’ 

On this the gaolers very unceremoniously thrust us 
in, and Sancho, without saying a word more, closed 
the door upon us. It appeared such an age since we 
had beheld the blue sky and the smiling face of nature, 
that we eagerly rushed to the window to discover what 
view could be obtained from it. We found, to our no 
small satisfaction, that it was not more than twelve or 
fifteen feet from the ground, and that it looked out on 
the great square I have before described. I have never 
forgotten the sensations of delight with which I inhaled 
the fresh air as it came through the open bars, and 
gazed once more on the bright sky, and the clear water 
of the river, the fields, and the trees beyond, and the 
human beings who were thronging the open space below 
us. They all appeared so full of life and activity, and 
the murmur of their voices seemed like music to my 
ears, so long accustomed to the silence of the dungeon. 
The bars of the window were very strong, and placed 
very close together, so that, as Sancho had observed, 
w^e could only just get our noses through them. We 
were, however, glad to get them out as far as we could, 
and every moment I found the breeze restoring to my 
limbs their accustomed strength. My first impulse was 
to shake the bars to try and find whether any of them 
could be moved ; but I restrained myself, lest some one 
from below should observe us and suspect that we were 
thinking of escaping. As we stood there, we heard 
several voices in piteous tones asking for alms ; and by 
pressing our faces close to the bars, we discovered that 
some of the prisoners iu the neighbouring rooms were 
letting down hats and baskets by fines at the ends of 


OTJR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON. 223 

poles, like fishing rods, to collect food and money from 
the passers-by. We were still eagerly watching the 
scene, when I felt a hand laid on my shoulder. I 
started back, and saw Sancho. We had been so 
interested that we had not heard him enter. He 
placed his finger on his lips to impose silence. 

‘I have been so occupied that I could not come 
before,^ he whispered. ‘I have brought you some 
white bread, and some meat, and fruit, and fresh 
water, and a little brandy to mix with it, which have 
been ordered by the friend who has obtained for you 
the indulgence of this room. Here are the provisions.' 
He put down in the chair a basket covered with a 
cloth. ‘ I cannot remain, for a fresh set of prisoners 
have lately arrived, and I am employed in looking after 
them.’ 

‘ Who are they ?’ I asked. ‘ More Indians, I fear.’ 

‘Yes, Sefior; there are a hundred of them. Poor 
fellows, I pity them, for they will certainly be shot in 
the great square out there before many days are over. 
There is a young chief among them. I grieve for him 
most, for he is a very fine fellow. He walked along as 
he came to prison like a prince, and heeded not the 
shouts and revilings of the mob who followed him and 
his companions. Their misery will soon be over, for 
they are to be tried to-morrow, and they have not a 
chance of escape.’ 

‘ Can you tell me his name?’ I asked anxiously ; for 
I instantly thought of Manco. 

‘No, I cannot,’ he answered. ‘I only know that 
he was taken a few days ago in a skirmish with the 
enemy, who are not many leagues off. It is feared 
even that they may attack the town, though we have 


224 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


too many soldiers here to give them much chance of 
success.’ 

‘ I trust they will not,’ I exclaimed, thinking of the 
dreadful scenes which had before occurred. ‘ But can 
you learn the name of this young chief ? I fear he is 
a friend of ours.’ 

‘ Oh, do not acknowledge him, then,’ said the gaoler, 
‘as you value your lives. You cannot benefit him, 
and may run the risk of sharing his fate.’ 

I saw the mistake I had committed; but still I 
pressed Sancho to learn who he was, and he under- 
took to comply with my wish, provided I followed his 
advice. I again asked him to inform us who was the 
friend who had interested himself in our favour; but 
he replied that he was not at liberty to say, and he 
then hurried from the room. 

The news he had brought made us very sad, for we 
could not help contemplating the scene of bloodshed 
which was about to occur, which was of itself suffi- 
ciently horrible, even should my suspicions that Manco 
was a prisoner not prove correct. We were doomed 
not to have our anxiety relieved, for Sancho did not 
again make his appearance during the day. He was 
probably afraid of being observed if he visited us too 
frequently.- We ate the food Sancho had brought us 
most thankfully, and it much contributed to restore 
our strength ; but we had lost all pleasure in looking 
out of the window on the square, which was so soon 
to be the scene of the slaughter of so many of our 
fellow-creatures. We found a bundle of blankets and 
some clean linen hid away under the bedding ; for the 
latter, which to us was a great luxury, we had no 
doubt we were indebted to Don Eduardo. At night 


OUR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON. 225 

we threw ourselves on the bed, and tried to sleep ; but 
my rest was very disturbed, and I constantly dreamed 
that I heard firing, and saw the unhappy Indians being 
shot down before the windows. Towards morning, 
however, I fell into a deep slumber ; and, probably 
owing to the change of air and the improvement in 
our food, we both slept to a much later hour than 
usual. We were awakened by the confused sound 
of the voices of a concourse of people, and jumping 
up, we hurried to the window. From thence we saw 
a large crowd collected in the square, who seemed to 
be eagerly watching the doors of the prison. We 
could distinguish the tones of those nearest to us ; 
and from the words which reached us, we learned 
that a sort of trial had taken place the previous 
evening of the prisoners lately captured, as well as of 
those in Tupac Catari’s army, and that they were all 
condemned to be shot. No one seemed to pity them ; 
but, on the contrary, all appeared to exult at the pro- 
spect of the slaughter which was about to commence. 

‘The pretended Inca, Tupac Amaru, has been 
taken,’ said one man. 

‘No; that is a mistake,’ was the answer. ‘But 
another chief has, though he fought like a lion, it is 
said.’ 

‘ Who is he?’ asked another. 

‘ A relation of the Inca’s ; one of the viper’s brood,’ 
replied the first. 

‘ They say two strangers were made prisoners lead- 
ing on the rebels,’ observed a third. ‘ They are to be 
shot also, I hojpe.’ 

‘No doubt of it; but the viceroy has thought it 
necessary to send to explain the matter to the English 

p 


226 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


consul at Lima ; and his answer has not arrived,’ re- 
marked a fourth. 

‘It is known that it cannot arrive for three or 
four more days ; and care will be taken to shoot 
them before that time,’ said the former speaker. 

‘Can they allude to us?’ I asked of Pedro, feeling 
my heart sink within me. 

‘ There is no doubt about it,’ he replied. ‘ We 
must be prepared for the worst ; but I do not think 
they will dare to kill one of your great nation. They 
will shoot me though, as I have no friends to help me.’ 

‘Nor have I, Pedro; but I would rather say. Let 
us hope for the best,’ I answered. ‘ They would gain 
nothing by killing either of us, and it would be very 
unjust to kill you and let me escape.’ 

‘ It would be very unjust to kill either of us ; but 
they care little for justice, and they wish to strike 
terror into the hearts of their enemies,’ he remarked 
calmly. 

‘ Such cruelty as they are about to perpetrate will 
only exasperate the Indians the more,’ said I. ‘If 
they were to treat them well, and let them go, they 
would be more likely to put down the rebellion.’ 

The crowd was every moment increasing, as people 
were coming in from all directions. Among them were 
a large number of Indians, mestizos, and other half 
castes, who seemed to look on with the same uncon- 
cern as the Spaniards. My eye had been attracted 
by a man whose florid complexion and dress showed 
that he was a seaman of some northern nation, and I 
hoped an Englishman. He shouldered his way through 
the crowd with a confident, independent air, as if he 
felt himself superior to any about him. At length 


OUR EXPERIENCES OP A PERUVIAN PRISON. 227 

he came close under our window, and caught my 
eye watching him. He stared at me fixedly for 
some time, and I thought recognised me to be a 
countryman by my light hair and fair complexion. 
Once he put his hand up to his mouth, as if he 
was going to hail me, as he would a man at the 
masthead ; but he again let it drop, having ap- 
parently changed his mind, and, returning his hands 
to his trousers pockets, he rolled away with the un- 
mistakeable air of a British seaman. I longed to 
call after him to tell who I was; but, afraid of 
being heard by others, I restrained myself. 

‘ Is that man a friend of yours ? ’ asked Pedro. 

‘ I never saw him that I know of before,’ I answered. 

‘Well, I thought that he recognised you,’ he ob- 
served. ‘I marked the expression of his eye, and I 
should say that he knew you, or mistook you for some 
one else.’ 

I eagerly watched the sailor, afraid that he would 
go away, and that we should see him no more. I 
observed, however, that though he dodged about 
among the crowd with a careless air, he never got 
to any great distance from our window. This cir- 
cumstance kept alive my hope that he had come for 
the purpose of bringing us information, or of helping 
us to escape. The crowd had now begun to grow as 
impatient at the non-appearance of the prisoners as 
they would at a bull-fight, had there been a delay in 
turning the bull into the circus, when three bodies of 
troops were seen marching up from the several streets 
leading into the square. They formed on either side 
of it, making a lane from the prison gates to the river ; 
while the crowd fell back behind them. I had ob- 


228 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

served a number of Indians collecting on the oppo- 
site bank of the river, who now came down close 
to its edge, watching anxiously the proceedings of 
the soldiers. They appeared, however, not to be 
remarked by the people in the town. As they were 
partly concealed by the trees and the walls dividing 
the fields, their numbers might not have been per- 
ceived by the people in the square. The bell of the 
nearest church began to toll ; the crowd looked eagerly 
towards the prison ; the massive gates were thrown 
open, and we saw issuing forth a posse of priests and 
monks, bearing ci:.ucifixes and lighted tapers, who were 
followed by the unhappy Indians intended for execu- 
tion, chained two and two, and each couple guarded 
by a soldier with his musket presented at their heads. 

I watched them file out with aching eyes, for every 
moment I expected to see Manco led forth. I had 
a painful presentiment that he was among tlie victims. 
The last of the Indians had passed on, and I began to 
breathe more freely ; but still the crowd began to look 
towards the gates of the prison. Alas! I was not 
mistaken. The mob raised a shout of exultation, and 
I saw a man I could too clearly recognise, between 
two soldiers, with a priest advancing before him, and 
reciting the prayers for the dead. It was the kind, 
the brave Manco himself. He walked on with a proud 
and dignified air, undaunted by the revengful shouts of 
his enemies, thirsting for his blood. His step was firm, 
and his brow was unclouded, and his lips were firmly 
set; but I observed that his bright dark eyes were 
every now and then ranging anxiously among the 
crowd, as if in search of a friendly glance. His 
fellow-beings who formed the mob, looked at him with 


OUR EXPERIENCES OP A PERUVIAN PRISON. 229 

eager and savage curiosity; but no one appeared to 
offer him any sign of recognition. He was closely 
followed by a company of soldiers, with arms pre- 
sented. They formed, I discovered, the fatal firing 
party. As they advanced, the other soldiers formed 
in the rear, and the mob followed close behind. The 
sailor, I observed, went with the rest for a short 
distance, but when he found that their attention was 
entirely occupied with the prisoners, he disengaged 
himself from among them, and rolled back with his 
unconcerned air towards our window. 

‘ Shipmate, ahoy,’ he exclaimed in a suppressed tone 
as he passed. 

‘ Who are you ? ’ I asked eagerly. 

‘ A friend in need,’ he answered, in the same low 
tone. ‘ Keep a stout heart in your body, and if you 
can manage to rig a line of some sort, let it down out 
of your window soon after dark. If it’s just strong 
enough to haul up another it will do. I’ll bring a 
stout one with me.’ 

‘ We’ll do as you say, friend, and many thanks,’ I 
answered. 

‘ That’s all right then,’ said the seaman. When you 
hear a cat mew under your window, let down the line. 
I shan’t be far off. I must now go along with the 
crowd to see what’s going on. I wish that I could 
lend a helping hand to some of those poor fellows; 
but it won’t do, I must look after you, you know. 
A countryman in distress has the first right to my 
services.* 

I longed to learn who he was ; but before I could 
ask him, he had sauntered away among the crowd. 
Meantime the soldiers had formed three sides of a 


230 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

hollow square, the river forming the fourth. Close to 
the bank there stood a large group of human beings — 
the victims destined for execution. Their arms and 
legs were secured with cords, so that they could not 
escape. They uttered no cries or lamentations, but 
appeared ready to meet their fate with stoical in- 
difference. The priests, with their crucifixes and 
candles, collected round them, exhorting them to re- 
pentance, and uttering prayers which none of them 
could understand. I looked anxiously for Manco, 
but he was not among them, and at last I discovered 
him standing apart, under charge of a file of soldiers. 
With a refinement of cruelty, it was intended that he 
should witness the execution of his friends and country- 
men, before he himself was led forth to be shot. A 
priest stood by his side, endeavouring to make him 
listen to the words of exhortation he was pouring into 
his ears ; but, I judged, with no effect. His arms were 
folded, and his eyes were turned towards the group 
in the centre. Several officers were riding about the 
square. At a signal from one of them (the colonel 
who had sent us to prison), the priests retired; and 
the firing party, consisting of a hundred men, fell back 
to the distance of about twenty paces. There was a 
death-like silence ; even the savage crowd were awed. 
I could scarcely breathe, and a mist came before my 
eyes. 

There was a pause of a minute. Perhaps, I thought, 
the commanding officer himself hesitates to give the 
word which must send so many of his fellow-creatures 
to eternity. I was mistaken. ‘Fire,* he shouted, in 
a sharp loud voice. A rapid discharge of musketry 
was heard, and as the smoke cleared off, a number of 


OUR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON. 231 

the prisoners were seen struggling and writhing in 
agony on the ground. Some of them lay still enough, 
for they, more fortunate, were shot dead; while the 
wounded uttered the most fearful shrieks and cries for 
mercy. More than two-thirds stood erect, unharmed 
by the bullets. The soldiers loaded as fast as they 
could, and again sent forth a deadly fire from their 
muskets. The number of prisoners was fearfully 
thinned. The soldiers fired again and again, and each 
time fewer remained alive. At last but two Indians 
continued standing side by side, unscathed by the fire. 
I was in hopes that they might have been pardoned ; 
but no, the soldiers advancing, presented their pieces 
at their breasts and shot them dead, while those who 
lay wounded on the ground were likewise put out of 
their misery. 

All eyes were now turned towards the chief Manco. 
I know not on what account his limbs were allowed to 
remain unfettered. Perhaps they thought that among 
such a crowd a single man could do no one an injury. 
He walked along towards the spot where his murdered 
countrymen lay in heaps, with his head erect, and a 
firm, unfaltering step. The priest followed him ; but 
he waved him off, as if his services were of no further 
avail. Even the officers seemed to feel some respect 
for him ; and I saw one of them give him a hand- 
kerchief, with which to give the signal for the soldiers 
to fire. He stood boldly facing them, with his eye 
firmly fixed on his executioners, a little way on one 
side of the heap of dead men. My heart felt ready to 
burst ; yet painful as it was, I could not withdraw my 
sight from him. I anxiously watched for the fatal 
moment. He gave a leap upwards it appeared, and 


232 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

threw the handkerchief in the air. The soldiers fired ; 
but when the smoke cleared we could not distinguish 
his body on the ground. The head and shoulders of a 
man were, however, seen in the waters of the river, and 
he was striking out with powerful strokes towards the 
opposite shore, where at the same instant a number of 
Indians were observed plunging in to meet him. 

‘See, Pedro, he has escaped — he has escaped! I 
exclaimed. ‘ It is Manco I am certain ; how bravely 
he swims. They will not be so cruel as to kill him 
now. He will reach the opposite shore. Ah! alas, 
he sinks. No, he has only dived; see, he comes up 
some way down the stream.* 

The firing party advanced to the banks ; but they 
had expended all their cartridges, I suppose, for they 
stood watching him in stupid astonishment; and no 
one, for a minute or more, thought of ordering any of 
the other soldiers to advance and fire. This gave the 
swimmer a great advantage ; and as the current was 
strong, he had soon glided some way down below the 
square. At last some hundred men advanced to the 
edge of the river, and opened a rapid fire on him ; but 
still he continued his course undaunted. The Indians 
on the banks set up loud shouts, as did those who 
had swam out to meet him. He was quickly among 
them, when it became impossible to distinguish him 
from the rest. Many, I suspected, lost their lives in 
their attempt to save their chief. A number of soldiers 
jumped into the canoes on the banks of the river, and 
attempted to pursue the fugitive ; but long before they 
could have reached him, the swimmers had landed, 
and were seen rushing up among the trees. Whether 
or not he was among them I could not tell ; for the 


OUR EXPERIENCES OF A PERUVIAN PRISON. 233 

bodies of those who were killed floated down the 
stream out of sight. A rapid fire was kept up at 
the opposite bank, which the Indians, as they landed, 
had to pass through; but they were soon sheltered 
from its effects by the trees, and in a few moments 
not one of them was to be seen. Carts came to 
convey the dead away ; sand was strewed over the 
spot; the crowd, murmuring at the escape of the 
principal victim, dispersed ; and the square in a 
short time resumed its usual appearance. 


234 


MANGO, TUE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER XIY. 

A FRIEND IN NEED — OUR ESCAPE. 

Pedro and I turned from the window, and sitting 
down, with our hands before our faces, endeavoured 
to shut out the dreadful sights we had witnessed. It 
was satisfactory, however, to believe that Manco had 
escaped ; and I trusted that he would not fall again 
into the power of his enemies. When Sancho entered 
with a supply of provisions, he found us so employed. 

I do not know whether he suspected that we had 
some hopes of making our escape, and wished to warn 
ns of the danger. His manner, I remarked, was more 
cordial than usual ; and perhaps he did not expect to 
see us again. As soon as he had left us, we con- 
sulted how we should form a line to let down out of 
the window, as our sailor friend had advised. We 
hunted about, but could not find even the smallest 
piece of rope. At last I suggested that we might tear 
up one of our shirts, and by twisting the bits and tying 
them together, we might make a fine long enough to 
reach the ground, and strong enough to haul up a 
thick rope. We forthwith, therefore, set to work; 
and having tried each bit as we fastened it on, we were 
satisfied that our line would answer our purpose. 

It was nearly dusk by the time we had finished it ; 
and lest some one should by chance come in and see 
what we had been about, we hid it away under the 


A FRIEND IN NEED. 


235 


mattress. It was fortunate that we took this precau- 
tion, for just as we had done so the door opened, and 
'he gaoler, accompanied by our kind friend, Don 
Eduardo, and another person, entered the room. Don 
Eduardo bowed to us, and as he took a seat which 
Sancho offered him, he looked at us rather sternly, as 
much as to signify that we must not appear on familiar 
terms. 

‘I have brought this gentleman to prepare your 
defence for you, Seuores, as I hear that you are to be 
tried to-morrow,* he said, in a kind tone. ‘ I am sorry 
to tell you that it will go hard with you if you cannot 
establish your innocence.* 

‘I have to thank you very much, Don Eduardo,* I 
answered ; ^ but all we can do is to protest our innocence 
— we have no witnesses. The Indians, who might have 
proved that we were ourselves taken prisoijers by their 
chief, have this morning been shot.* 

‘ It is indeed a diflBcult case,* remarked the advocate. 
‘I will do my best, Don Eduardo; and we must hope 
that something will appear in their favour.* 

I need not repeat all that took place. The advocate 
asked us a variety of questions, and made a number of 
notes; and then rising, followed Don Eduardo, who 
stiffly bowed to us as before, out of the room. Sancho, 
who went last, turned his head over his shoulder, and 
shook his head, with a grave expression on his face, 
which showed us that he thought our case was despe- 
rate. This circumstance made us more anxious than 
ever to effect our escape ; and we waited anxiously for 
the signal the English sailor had promised us. By 
degrees the noises inside and outside the prison "died 
away. People, fatigued with the excitement of the 


236 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


morning, had retired earlier than usual to their homes, 
and the square was totally deserted. It was very dark, 
for there was no moon, and a thick mist rising from 
the river, hung over the town ; and what was of more 
use to us, there was a strong wind, which howled and 
moaned among the buildings, and rattled about the 
tiles. The time seemed to pass very slowly ; and we 
began to fancy that the seaman might have been pre- 
vented from fulfilling his intention. 

‘ Perhaps he was watched speaking to us, and has 
been taken up by the officers of justice,’ I remarked. 

‘ Perhaps he was found coming here with a rope in 
his possession,’ said Pedro; ‘or perhaps he was de- 
ceiving us.’ 

‘No, I will not believe that,’ I answered indignantly. 
‘ I am sure he is honest. He is an Englishman and a 
sailor, there is no mistaking that ; and he did not look 
or speak like a rogue. Let us hope for the best.’ 

Just as I made this observation, we heard what 
sounded like the mew of a kitten, just under the 
window. We instantly jumped up, and I let down 
our line. I felt it gently tugged. 

‘ Haul up,’ said a voice ; and as we got to the end, 
we found a rope sufficiently strong to bear a man’s 
weight attached to the end. 

‘ Fasten that to a strong bar ; and look out not to 
make a lubber’s knot,’ added the voice. 

We did as we were bid; and soon after a strong 
tug had been given to the rope, a man’s head and 
shoulders appeared at the window. He looked in to 
discover who was in the room. 

‘ All friends here ? ’ he asked. 

‘ Yes, to a friend in need,’ I replied. 


A FRIEND IN NEED. 


237 


‘ All right then/ he said ; and, apparently satisfied, 
he climbed up farther, and sat himself down securely 
on the window ledge. ‘Kow my lads, you’d like to 
get out of this, I suppose,’ he said, in a careless tone, 
which showed that he was in no way agitated by the 
risk he was running. ‘We’ll, there isn’t a moment to 
be lost ; and so I’ve brought three files, that we may 
all work away at the bars together.’ 

Pedro and I took the files he offered us, and waited 
till he had examined the bars. 

‘ Here are two together, which seem loosened in 
their sockets,’ he observed. ‘Now it seems to me, 
mates, if we were to file away at the upper part, just 
below the lowest cross bar, and could wrench out those 
two bars, as you are not very stout, there would be 
room for you two to slip through.’ 

‘I feel sure that we could easily get through,’ I 
answered ; ‘ but what are we to do, friend, when we 
are outside ? ’ 

‘ Never you trouble your head about that, youngster,’ 
he replied. ‘ I’ve planned it all, and it can’t fail ; so 
do you just take the file and work away.’ 

Thus admonished, Pedro and I began to file away 
at one bar, while the sailor attacked the other. 

‘ Don’t stop,’ he whispered ; the noise is much less 
likely to be noticed if you go on regularly with it, than 
it breaks off every now and then.’ 

We filed away accordingly with all our might ; but 
I could not help trembling at times with alarm lest we 
should be heard ; for though the wind howled and 
whistled in a most satisfactory manner, yet there is 
something so peculiar in the sound of filing, that I was 
afraid the sharp ears of the gaoler or guards might 


238 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


hear it. Pedro and I had got through more than two- 
thirds of our bar, and we agreed that we might easily 
wrench it out of its place, when our arms began to 
ache, and as we rested for a minute, we heard a foot- 
step approaching the room. In great alarm, we told 
the sailor. 

‘ I^'ever mind,’ he answered, quite calmly. ‘ Stow the 
files away, and lie down on the bed, and pretend to be 
fast asleep. I’ve got a lump of pitch in my pocket, 
and I’ll just fill up the grooves we’ve made in the bars, 
so that they’ll not be observed. There, that will do. 
Now I’ll just wait down below till your visitor has 
gone.’ 

We threw ourselves on the bed, as he advised, and 
listened with intense anxiety. The footsteps passed by, 
and we heard doors opening near us. All was again 
silent for some time ; and we had just sprung up, and 
were about to call the sailor, when we heard the foot- 
steps returning. W e threw ourselves down once more 
on the bed. Just as we had done so, the door opened, 
and Sancho, holding a lantern in his hand, put bis head 
into the room. His two assistants appeared behind 
him. As the light flashed on my eyes, I closed them 
fast. 

‘All right here, the lads are fast asleep,’ he said, 
turning to the men. ‘ Hillo ! Seuores, wake up, will 
you. The governor has received notice that some 
stranger was seen this morning, wandering about out- 
side the prison ; and he has sent us round to see that 
all our inmates were safe. Just remember, then, that we 
paid you a visit, that’s all. Now go to sleep again, 
for you wont have many more nights to rest here. 
Ila! ha! ha I’ 


A FRIEND IN NEED. 


239 


The men langhed as he said this, as if they thought 
it a very good joke ; and Pedro and I sat up and 
rubbed our eyes. 

‘ Buenos noches, good night, SeSores,* he repeated ; 
and to our infinite satisfaction, without approaching 
the window, he and his assistants retired, and closed 
the door behind them. 

We listened till their footsteps had died away in the 
distance ; and then jumping up, we went to the window, 
where I gave a low mew, which was answered by the 
sailor, who quickly climbed back again to his former 
post. I told him in hurried accents what had occurred. 

‘Never mind,’ he answered coolly. ‘More reason 
for haste. Another half-hom*’s work will set you free. 
Bear a hand about it, then.’ 

His calmness reassured us; and having carefully 
cleared away the pitch, we went on filing at the bar as 
fast as we could. My heart certainly did beat more 
rapidly than it had ever done before ; for I expected 
every moment to be interrupted by the entrance of the 
gaolers. Fortunately the wind blew, and the tiles 
rattled more loudly than ever. At last, to our great 
satisfaction, both the bars were almost filed through. 
The sailor seized the one he had been working at, and 
with a powerful wrench, tore it from the stone window- 
frame. 

‘ There,’ he said, giving me the piece of bar. ‘ Put it 
carefully down. We will leave it as a legacy behind us.’ 

Pedro and I grasped the other, and with all our 
strength tore it away. 

‘ Hurra ! all right now, mates,’ said the the sailor, 
scarcely refraining from giving a cheer. ‘ Bear a hand, 
and squeeze through. I’ll help you.’ 


240 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


‘ You go first,’ said Pedro. ‘ I’ll follow you.* 

I could just manage to squeeze my head and 
shoulders between the bars ; and with the assistance 
of the sailor, who hauled away by my collar, I found 
myself standing outside them on the window-ledge. 

‘ There won’t be room for all of us outside, so do 
you, mate, just get hold of the rope and shde down to 
the ground,* observed the sailor. 

‘ Where is it ? * I asked, for I could neither see nor 
feel it. 

‘ Get hold of the bars with your hands, and lower 
yourself till you get your feet round the rope. Don’t 
let go with one hand till you’ve a firm hold with the 
other. I’ll guide you.’ 

Following his instructions, I lowered my body over 
the window-sill till I could grasp the rope with my 
hands, when without much difficulty I slid down to the 
ground. For an instant my satisfaction at being once 
more outside the prison walls made me forget the risk 
we ran of being recaptured, and the difficulties we had 
still to undergo. I stood anxiously watching for the 
appearance of my companions ; for it was so dark that 
I could not distinguish them even at the short distance 
between the ground and the window. In moments 
such as those, each one appears an age, and I trembled 
for our safety. At last I saw a figure gliding down 
the rope. It was Pedro. Scarcely had he reached the 
ground when the sailor was by my side. 

‘ Now, mates,’ he whispered, ‘ let’s hold on to each 
other, and put our best legs foremost. I’ve a canoe 
ready on the banks of the river, and we may be far 
away before our flight is discovered.’ 

We lost no time in words, but taking each other’s 


OUR ESCAPE. 


241 


hands that we might not be separated, we ran as fast 
as we could across the square, guided by the sailor, 
who had taken the bearings of some lights he told us to 
steer by. Owing to the stormy weather and the late 
hour, no one was crossing the square ; indeed, even the 
most callous were probably inclined to avoid the spot 
where the Indians had been executed in the morning. 
We must have passed close to it. At last we reached 
the side of the river, but had not hit the place where 
the sailor had left the canoe. Here was another diffi- 
culty. Could any one have removed it ? We groped 
about for some time in vain. 

‘ Can you both swim V asked the sailor. 

‘ Yes ; but it’s a long way across, and there are 
perhaps crocodiles in the water,’ I answered. 

‘ Better be drowned or swallowed up by a crocodile, 
my lads, than retaken by those land-sharks,’ he ob- 
served. ‘ It must come to that if we cannot find the 
canoe.’ 

Pedro and I agreed to this ; and, though we had 
not our full strength, we prepared to take the swim, 
trusting to the brave fellow’s assistance. 

‘Well, I see there’s some risk, so we’ll have another 
hunt for the canoe first,’ he observed. ‘ Stay, I think 
it’s lower down the stream.’ 

He was right. Directly afterwards, to our great 
satisfaction, we stumbled upon the canoe. To launch 
it was the work of a moment ; but though we hunted 
in every direction, we could only find one paddle. 

‘One must do,’ said the sailor. ‘I can manage. 
Ho time to be lost, though.’ 

Saying this, he stepped in first, and seated himself 
in the stern, with the paddle in his hand. He then 
Q 


242 


jrANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


turned the head of the canoe to the bank, and told 
Pedro and me to creep in carefully over the bow. W e 
did so, and placed ourselves by his direction along the 
bottom. A stroke of his paddle then turned the canoe 
round, and we floated rapidly down the stream. I 
listened for any sound to indicate that we were fol- 
lowed, but nothing could be heard above the howling 
of the wind in the trees. Neither of us uttered a word, 
not that there was much chance of being heard by any 
one on shore. The water bubbled and hissed round us, 
and the win'd threw it in sheets of spray over our heads. 
At times it came rippling over the sides of the, canoe, 
and there seemed a prospect of its being filled ; but the 
seaman held on his course without hesitation. We 
had shot quickly by the few lights which here and 
there twinkled from the houses, and were beginning to 
breathe more freely, thinking that we had altogether 
got clear of the town, when I fancied I heard the 
splash of oars behind us. I could not tell if the 
sailor had heard the sound, but he seemed to ply his 
paddle with even greater vigour than before. Once 
or twice he turned his head for an instant, which 
confirmed me in the idea that we were followed; but 
even his practised eye could not pierce the dark- 
ness which shrouded us. At last I saw that he had 
relaxed in his efforts, and that he kept his paddle 
moving sufficiently only to guide the canoe as it 
dropped down with the current. We had been a 
couple of hours in the canoe, or perhaps not quite 
so long, though the anxiety we felt made the time 
pass slowly. 

‘Well, I believe it was only a cayman or an alli- 
gator, or one of those sort of brutes, after all,’ he ex- 


OUR ESCAPE. 243 

claimed, drawing a deep breath, like a man reheved 
from a heavy care. 

‘ I have not been able yet to thank you, friend, for 
what you have already done for us ; but I should like 
to know what you propose doing next,’ said I, as soon 
as I found we plight venture to speak. 

‘Well, that’s just what I was thinking of, mate, my- 
self,’ he answered. ‘ But you needn’t thank me, for to 
my mind, I haven’t done much for you yet. All I 
have had time for was to get you out of limbo, and 
afloat on this here river. We must now hold a council 
of war, to know what’s to be done.’ 

As he said this, he made the canoe glide in towards 
the nearest bank. We quickly found ourselves in a 
quiet bay, overhung with trees, into which we had by 
chance entered. The sailor held on by the bough of a 
tree, which served to keep the canoe from floating out 
again. The wind had much abated, and the sky had 
become much clearer, so that there was sufficient light 
to enable us to steer free of any dangers in the middle 
of the stream ; though where we now were we should 
have been completely concealed from the sight of per- 
sons on board any boat which might have been passing, 
or even of one sent in search of us. 

‘ Well,’ said the sailor, ‘ what do you propose, 
mate?’ 

‘I must first ask you whereabouts we are,’ I answered. 
‘ I promised an Indian who preserved my life, to return 
to him before I left the country, but I cannot tell 
wffiere he is now to be found. Our wisest plan would 
be to try and reach the sea, so as to get on board 
some English ship. I do not think we shall be safe 
till then.’ 


244 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ What has your friend, then, to say to the matter ? * 
said the sailor. 

‘ He does not understand English, but I will ask him/ 

Pedro replied that he thought we should be guided 
by the sailor, who had already helped us so much. 

The sailor seemed pleased with the answer. 

‘ Why, then, Pll try and do my best for you, mates,’ 
he said. ‘You see we are about ten miles away from 
your prison, and somewhere close upon two hundred 
miles from the nearest port where we are likely to 
fall in with any English ship. The Spaniards don’t 
encourage them to come openly into their ports with 
the high duties they clap on, though there’s a good 
deal of smuggling on the coast; and more than half 
the British manufactures used in the country are landed 
without paying a farthing of duty. I would rather 
stick to the river as long as we could ; but then, you 
see, it’s the very place the Spaniards are likely to send 
to look for us. So I propose that we pull down some 
five or six miles further, where there are some rapids 
which we cannot pass, and then we will land on the 
south bank, and make our way over towards the 
country they call Chili, though it’s hot enough, to 
my mind, at times. We might manage, to be sure, 
to get across the mountains, and launch a canoe upon 
one of the streams which run into the river of the 
Amazons. It’s a long way, to be sure, but others 
have gone down the river ; and I don’t see, if we can 
keep stout hearts in our bodies, why we shouldn’t. 
When one man has done a thing, I always think 
another may, if he set the right way about it.’ 

‘A voyage down the river of the Amazons!’ I ex- 
claimed. ‘The very thing I should be delighted to 


OUR ESCAPE. 


245 


accomplish. I do not care for the dangers or hard- 
ships we shall have to encounter. I say, let us try it 
by all means. I am sure Pedro will agree. We must 
first try and find my friend Manco, the Indian chief, if 
he should have escaped from his enemies.’ 

I then explained to the sailor who Manco was. 

‘ That’s the spirit I like to see,’ he answered. ‘ We 
shall do, depend upon it. Tve no great fancy for being 
caught by the Spaniards and clapped into prison ; and 
they are certain to be looking for us all along the 
western coast. We shall have to go rather a round- 
about way, but that can’t be helped. Now, from what 
I hear, the Indians have pretty well cleared the country 
of the white men to the south of this, so we shall have 
little to fear from the Spaniards ; and as you say the 
Indians are your friends, if we fall in with them, it is 
to he hoped they will treat us well. We can’t expect, 
you know, to get through the world without running 
through a little danger now and then.’ 

I told the sailor I agreed with him. 

‘And now, my friend,’ I said, ‘I have some more 
questions to ask you. I do not know your name, and 
I cannot guess how you came to find us out.’ 

‘What does that matter, mate? I do not know 
yours ; and to say the truth, I never heard of you till a 
few days ago, when I heard the people talking — for I 
know something of their lingo — of young Englishman 
who was to be shot for siding with the Indians. Now, 
thinks I to myself, that is a very bad thing for the lad, 
and if I can lend him a hand, we’ll disappoint the Dons. 
It’s my belief, a seaman — as far as that matters, any- 
l3ody — ought always to help a countryman in distress, 
or he’s not worth his salt.’ 


246 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ Then I ought first to tell you who I am/ I replied ; 
and I gave him a short account of myself, and my late 
adventures, and how I came to meet with Pedro. 

‘ That’s very strange,’ he muttered ; ‘ very strange. 
I’m more than ever glad to be of use to you. Now for 
my name. It’s not a long one. I’m called Ned Gale. 
I was born at sea and bred at sea ; and it isn’t often I 
set foot on shore, so that what good there is in me I 
picked up afloat.’ 

‘Then how comes it, Ned Gale, that you got so' far 
inland as this ? ’ I asked. 

‘ Why, you see the ship I sailed in was seized by the 
Spanish authorities, in the port of Callao, where we 
had been driven by stress of weather. It was alleged 
that we had been smuggling on the coast, which was 
neither here nor there, as there was no one to prove 
it. At last the master was advised to appeal to the 
viceroy, and so he set off to Lima to see him, taking 
me in his company. When we got to Lima, we found 
that the viceroy had gone up the country ; so away we 
went after him. We travelled over mountains, and 
across sandy plains, and rivers and torrents, day after 
day, but he always kept ahead of us. You see that 
he had gone out to fight the Indians ; and when at last 
we came up with him, we found him in a very bad 
humour, for his troops had been beaten in every direc- 
tion. So he would not listen to a word my captain had 
to say. The fact was, the bribe Captain Hindson had 
been advised to offer him was not large enough. My 
poor captain had before been very ill, and as the ship 
was his own property, and all he possessed in the 
world, his loss ' ruined him. Prom the day he got the 
viceroy’s answer, he never again lifted up his head; 


OUR ESCAPE. 


247 


and in a week he died in my arms. It was of a broken 
heart, I suppose; for there was nothing the matter 
with him that I could see. Poor fellow, I have seen 
many a shipmate struck down by the shot of the 
enemy, or sinking under the foaming waves, when there 
was no help at hand ; but I never mourned for one as 
I did for him, for he was a right honest and kind man. 
The Dons did not show much Christian charity towards 
him after he was dead either, for they said he was a 
heretic; so they would not bury him in the church- 
yard, but carried him away to a field, where they dug 
a hole and covered him up like a dog. I didn’t think 
that mattered at all, however; so I owed them no 
grudge for it. I never could see the use of praying 
for a man after he was dead. He did not mind where 
he lay, and God will know where to look for him at 
the last day, when he has to stand his trial like all of 
us. At first I felt a wish to die too ; but I soon got 
over that, and taking the money and the few things 
the captain had given me (I’ve got his note about that 
matter — his will he called it), I started off for the coast 
to look out for another ship. As I have been often in 
the country, I have picked up some of their lingo, so 
got on well enough among the Dons ; but I found I 
couldn’t very well travel alone, and often had to wait 
till I found some one going my road. It was in this 
way, while I was looking out for companions, that I 
happened to fall in with you. And now you know 
something of my history, are you willing to trust me?’ 

‘ Had I known nothing about it, after the essential 
service you have rendered us, I would confidently have 
trusted you,’ I answered. 

‘ Avast now then, mate,’ exclaimed Ned Gale ; 


248 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

‘ don’t give me any soft sawder ; I’m not fond of it. I 
like the cut of your jib, and you like the cut of mine ; 
so we shall sail very well in company. By-and-by 
we shall know more of each other. And the young 
Don there, I hke his looks too, though I’m not over 
partial to the natives. Howsomdever, we’ve had talk- 
ing enough, and as my arms are rested, and there don’t 
appear to be any enemy abroad looking for us, we may 
as well get under weigh again.’ 

I agreed with him ; and Pedro and I sinking down 
into our former position, we again glided out into the 
stream. The river was in places very shallow, and 
more than once we touched the bottom, and the water 
began to foam over the stern; but Gale lifted her 
clear with his paddle, without our being obliged to 
jump out, and away we went again as rapidly as 
before. Pedro was very silent — he felt confused and 
astonished at all that had occurred ; neither did Ned 
Gale nor I exchange many words, for we could not 
tell at what moment we might come upon any of the 
villages which are to be found on the banks of the 
river. Now and then we heard a dog bark, and the 
crowing of some cocks in the distance gave signs of 
the approach of morning ; but no habitations were 
visible, and no human voices gave us cause for alarm. 

Several of the villages on the south bank, Ned Gale 
had learned, had been destroyed by the Indians ; but 
they had not attempted to cross to the north side. 
After about an hour’s paddling, we reached a spot 
similar to the one where we had before taken shelter. 
We paddled along the shore of the little bay for some 
way, trying to find a place hard enough to bear our 
feet, for the bank was generally soft and muddy, 


OUR ESCAPE. 


249 


fringed by a broad belt of reeds, which the alligators 
must have found convenient for tickling their snouts 
with. 

‘ Step out,’ said Gale, ‘ and learn if we are likely to 
make our way inland from this. I will wait for you 
nnd look after the canoe.’ 

Doing as he desired, Pedro and I felt our way along 
with cautious steps, for under the trees it was so dark 
that we could scarcely see our hands held up before 
ds. We found that the ground rose a little way 
beyond, and appeared quite hard. Satisfied with our 
-discovery, after about a quarter of an hour’s absence, 
we commenced our return to the boat. We walked 
on slowly, every instant expecting to fall into some 
hole ; and at last we agreed that we ought to have 
reached the canoe. We hunted about to the right 
and to the left, but we could not even see the river. 
We called out as loud as we dared, but Gale did not 
answer. 

‘There is the river; I see it shining through the 
trees,’ said Pedro. 

Yery soon we got up to it; and Pedro, who was a 
little in advance, was very nearly falling in. I dragged 
him back, and we began to hunt for the canoe. It was 
nowhere to be seen. Again we shouted louder than 
before, but Ned Gale did not answer. Could he have 
deserted us ? Such a thing seemed impossible, yet we 
began almost to despair. 

‘ Could an alligator have picked him off ? ’ I asked 
Pedro, shuddering as I thought of our friend’s pro- 
bable fate. 

We had kept along the bank of the river for some 
way. Just then Gale’s voice sounded close to us. We 


250 


MANGO, THE PEKUVIAN CHIEF. 


were soon np with him, and had told him of the result 
of our expedition, and of our alarm. 

•‘It was my fault, I suppose,' he answered, laughs 
ing. ‘ I found a tree to which I could make the canoe 
fast, so I thought I might as well take a little sleep 
while you were away. I heard you call, and dreamed 
that I answered you. The honest truth is, I spent all 
last night looking about the prison to find you out, 
so I haven’t closed my eyes for many an hour. You’ll 
pardon me, mates, I hope ; nature’s nature, and will 
have its way.’ 

I assured him, now that we had found him, we did 
not mind the fright ; and asked him what he proposed 
doing next. 

‘ Why, the first thing, you see, is to send the canoe 
out into the stream, so that our enemies may not dis- 
cover where we have landed,’ he answered. ‘It will 
float away over the falls ; so they may be looking for 
us miles below them perhaps.’ 

According to Ned Gale’s suggestion, we towed the 
canoe to the end of the point which formed one side 
of the bay, and he then throwing the paddle into it, 
we gave it a shove, which sent it out into the middle 
of the stream, down which we could distinguish it 
gliding rapidly away, till it was lost to sight. 

‘ We must lose no more time now, mates,’ said Ned 
Gale, as we climbed up the bank. ‘ We must get some 
way inland before daylight, and then stow ourselves 
away in a wood till we have time to look about us. 
We must keep clear of all cottages, for the white- 
brown fellows hereabouts would make no bones of 
selling us to the Dons, if they thought they could 
get anything for us. You see I’ve brought prog. 


OUli ESCAPE. 


251 


enough to last all hands for three days or more, on 
somewhat short commons ; and mayhap we may snare 
some game to eke it out much longer/ 

This was good news, for, by taking proper pre- 
cautions, I thought we might at all events avoid 
falling into the hands of the Spaniards; and of the 
Indians I had no fear. The ground over which we 
were passing, was very rough and uncultivated, and 
we could discover no beaten path. After some time 
we came to a mud wall; and on the other side we 
found a field full of maize, just fit for cutting. This 
gave us a very welcome supply of food, and we 
filled our pockets and caps, and a bag Ned Gale 
had brought with him, for that very purpose. 

It was necessary, however, to get away from the 
farm before daylight; so we skirted along the wall, 
and once more found ourselves on wild ground. The 
whole eastern sky was covered with a mass of flame, 
a sign that the sun himself was about to appear, when 
we caught sight of a forest spreading out before us. 
We pushed on much faster than we had been able to 
do during the darkness, and had just concealed our- 
selves among the trees, as the sun, rushing from among 
the mountains, cast a bright glow of light over the 
plains we had just passed. The first thing Ned Gale 
did, was to climb up one of the tallest trees on the 
outskirts of the forest, to take a look round and see 
what was in sight, as, he observed, a good seaman 
always does the first thing in the morning. When he 
came down, he reported that he had observed in the 
far distance some smoke, which he supposed arose 
from the farmhouse we had passed in the night ; but 
that he had discovered no other human habitation^ 


252 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

while as far as the eye could discern there appeared 
to be only an uncultivated plain. Having eaten 
nothing since our last meal in the prison, Pedro 
and I were very glad when Ned Gale opened his 
wallet, and produced some dried meat and bread 
and cheese, and what was almost of greater value, 
a good supply of cocoa. He had a flint and steel 
with him, and a tin cup for boiling water; so we 
collected some sticks and lighted a small fire, suffi- 
cient to cook our cocoa and to parch some peas. 
On looking over our provisions, we found that we 
had already ample to last us a week, so that we 
might venture to push across the mountains towards 
Cuzco, where, Manco had told me, he expected about 
this time the Indians would be collected in great force. 
We had, however, more than a day’s journey before 
we could reach the foot of the mountains, which were 
upwards of thirty miles off. 

On hunting about, we discovered a spring o^ bright 
water bubbling up close to the roots of an enormous 
tree, which it evidently very much assisted to nourish. 
We ate a good meal, and then Gale insisted that Pedro 
and I should lie down and rest, while he watched. As 
we both of us very much required sleep, we were not 
sorry to follow his advice ; and in about two hours we 
awoke much refreshed. 

I have not yet described Ned Gale. He was about 
five feet six in height, and very strongly built, with 
rather a large head, covered with a profusion of light 
hair. He wore a full bushy beard and large whiskers. 
His eyes were full and round, and of the brightest blue 
-I have ever seen in those of a man.* His mouth was 
large, and filled with strong white teeth, and his nose, 


OUR ESCAPE. 


25a 


though rather thick and prominent, was otherwise well 
cut. Indeed he came up fully to the description of a 
fine-looking fellow without being handsome. His dress 
was that of an ordinary seaman of those days. He 
wore a belt with a brace of pistols stuck in it, which 
were partly concealed by his loose cloth jacket. His 
head was covered by a small low-crowned straw hat ; 
and the puzzle seemed to be how he could manage to 
keep it on. Altogether he presented a figure very 
seldom seen so far inland as we then were. 

Come, mates,’ he exclaimed, ‘ it’s time to be making' 
headway again.’ 

We jumped up, and having divided our stores into 
three equal parts, and cut some thick walking-sticks, 
we shouldered our bundles, and recommenced our 
journey. 


254 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER Xy. 

OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE, AND THE ADVENTURES 
WE MET WITH. 

We travelled all day through the forest, the glimpses 
we every now and then obtained of the mountains 
serving to guide our steps. On emerging from the 
forest we arrived at a rapid stream. 

‘How are we to cross this?’ I exclaimed. ‘We 
shall spoil all our provisions, and have our clothes wet 
for the night, if we are obliged to swim across.’ 

‘ Oh, I think we may be able to ford it,’ said Ned 
Gale. ‘ Here, mates, let’s catch hold of each other’s 
hands, that if one falls the rest can pick him up. I’ll 
lead across, and sound with my stick. To my mind, 
that’s the way people should help each other through 
the world.’ 

After hunting about for some time, we found a broad 
place, where, from the appearance of the bank on 
either side, we fancied there might be a ford. So we 
took off our lower garments, and fastening our loads 
high up on our shoulders, we commenced the passage. 
For some way the water was shallow, and rose but 
little above our knees; but we went on slowly, Ned 
carefully sounding with his stick in advance. It was 
fortunate that we did so,- for on a sudden Ned sung 
out that he could find no bottom ; and scarcely had he 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


255 


spoken, when he sunk up to his aimpits, and had not 
we not hauled him back with all our might, the cur- 
rent would have carried him down the stream. We 
tried several other places, but everywhere found the 
water too deep to ford. 

‘ It wont do,’ observed Ned. ‘ We must stand back 
to the shore, and try to find another way of crossing. 
Here, mates, let’s set to work and collect as many dry 
rushes as we can pull. I’ve seen the Indians cross 
much broader and more rapid rivers than this on a few 
bundles of rushes.’ 

I told him, so had I ; and I did not know how it was 
that I did not think of it before. Ned had a large 
clasp knife, with which he cut away the rushes at a 
great rate, while, as Pedro and I had had ours taken 
from us in the prison, we were obliged to tear them up 
by the roots, or to break off the dry ones. When we 
had made a large heap of them, Ned gave me his 
knife. 

‘ There,’ he said, ‘ you go on cutting, while I begin 
to build our craft.’ 

There were some young trees growing near, one of 
which about ten feet long he had cut down. This he 
said was to serve as a keel, to make the craft somewhat 
ship-shape. He first fastened the rushes together in 
small bundles, and these he secured along the pole on 
either side, one outside the other. He placed smaller 
bundles at the ends, and fastened them together ; thus 
forming in a few minutes a very respectable-looking 
canoe, which, though not water-tight, would have 
enabled us to perform a much longer voyage than we 
had to undertake. By placing some bundles at in- 
tervals across the canoe, we hoped to be able to keep 


256 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

ourselves dry, having our feet only in the water. Our 
next care was to cut some long poles, by which we 
proposed to pole ourselves across. Ned Gale said a 
couple would be sufficient, one for him and another for 
me. Having cut them, we launched our canoe into 
shallow water, so that we could step easily into it ; and 
then, seizing our poles, we shoved out into the stream. 
Our canoe kept us well out of the water, though it had 
a tendency to turn over, which we were well able to 
counteract with our poles as long as we could reach 
the bottom. W e had got more than half-way across^ 
when the water deepened so much that we were obliged 
to use them as oars, or rather paddles, to get across ; 
and we had floated some way down the stream before 
we again could find the bottom. At last we landed, 
and drew up our canoe. I proposed leaving it, to make 
the natives wonder at the strange contrivance. 

‘ No, no,’ said Gale. ‘ Never mind what the natives 
may think about it. I say, let us stop and pull it ta 
pieces, or some of the Spaniards may chance to see it, 
and it will show them which way we are gone. It is a 
foolish notion people have of caring what those they 
may never see or hear of again, think of something 
they have made or done. Nothing good or useful, I 
mean, but some folly or other. It’s what makes people 
carve their names on the top of a rock, or some out-of 
the-way place, that somebody else, about as wise as 
themselves, may know that they have been there.’ 

It was the work of two or three minutes only to pull 
the raft to pieces, and to send the bundles of reeds 
which composed it floating down the stream. Before 
leaving the river, we sat down and took the meal which 
we called our dinner ; and having drunk as much water 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


257 


as we requii'ed, we filled up the skin Ned had provided, 
as we could not tell when we might again meet with 
water. Very fortunate it was that we did so. Having 
packed up our traps, we trudged onwards. 

We had walked about a couple of miles over a 
country thinly sprinkled with trees, and naturally 
fertile, though now without a human habitation, when, 
on looking ahead, instead of the green colour of the 
grass, and the varied foliage of the trees, we observed, 
as far as the eye could reach, one unvaried mass of 
reddish brown. 

‘ That’s a wild heath ahead of us, which we shall 
have to pass,’ observed Ned. ‘ I never saw the like 
of it.’ 

‘ See, see,’ exclaimed Pedro, pointing rather more 
to the right than we had been looking. ‘ What is 
that?’- 

At first we could not guess what was happening 
It appeared as if at a little distance off there was a 
heavy snow-storm falling, the whole air being full of 
large white flakes, so dense as almost to conceal the 
fierce rays of the sun. 

‘No, it can’t be snow — that’s certain,’ said Ned. 
‘ But what it is, I can’t say.’ 

The seeming snow-drift swept on as we advanced 
towards the brown heath. Pedro ran on a little ahead, 
and stooping down, soon returned with a large insect 
in his hand, which I recognised as a locust. It was 
fully three inches in length, of a reddish brown colour, 
and with very long and powerful hind-legs, with which, 
when Pedro opened his hand, it sprung off to a great 
distance. The appearance we had seen was that of a 
flight of locusts, or rather a small division of their 


258 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


army, which was about to settle directly in our course. 
We were soon among their outposts, where they lay 
pretty thick ; but beyond, as far as we could see, the 
ground was completely covered with them. Pedro, 
who had often seen them before, declared that, like 
ants and bees, they have peculiar laws and regulations ; 
and that those we first came upon were, like the sen- 
tinels of an army, placed to give warning of coming 
danger. If such is the case at times, they gave no 
notice of our approach, but merely skipped and 
jumped about, and knocked against our legs as we 
walked by. 

‘It’s a good job these beasts have no fancy for eat- 
ing meat as well as vegetables,’ observed Ned. ‘If 
they once began upon us, there wouldn’t be much of 
us left in the course of an hour.’ 

As, however, they neither sting nor bite, they did us 
no harm, though they skipped about us in millions as 
we advanced, while numbers were crushed every time 
we put our feet to the ground. We proceeded for 
upwards of an hour through this moving mass of life, 
till we stood literally in the centre of a sea of locusts. 
It was necessary to push on to get from among them 
before dark, as we had no fancy to attempt to rest 
among such unquiet companions. It took us more 
than another half-hour to get clear of them ; and we 
calculated that they covered a space four to five miles 
broad at the place we found them. We then came 
upon the ground which they had occupied, and the 
most ruthless of invaders could not have destroyed a 
country more completely than they had done. Not a 
blade of grass remained; every tree and shrub was 
leafless, and their branches were stripped of their bark 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


259 


W e could not lielp looking with painful amazement on 
the scene of desolation which those small animals had 
caused. Not only would they, as Ned Gale said, have 
eaten us up had they been carnivorous, but they might 
have devoured Pizarro and the army with which he 
conquered Peru in the course of a night. For miles 
in advance they had left traces of their visit. We 
congratulated ourselves on having brought water with 
us, as we could find none in the neighbourhood. What 
became of this vast flight of locusts I could not tell. I 
only hope they flew into the sea, or died from repletion ; 
for had they gone on consuming as much daily as we 
saw them destroy, they might lay a whole province 
desolate in the course of a few weeks. 

We walked on till it was quite dark before we could 
find a sheltered spot in which to bivouac. At last we 
reached a deep hollow, which at one period of the 
world’s history had been probably part of a water- 
course, but owing to some convulsion of nature, it 
was now perfectly dry. Trees grew on the upper 
edges, and the sides were covered with brushwood. 
It appeared, as far as we could judge in the uncertain 
light of the evening, to be a place well suited for our 
purpose ; and we accordingly hunted about till we 
found a spot where we could light a fire and lie down 
to rest. This was not very easy, but at length we dis- 
covered a small open space covered with grass. Gale 
cut away the bushes round it, and piling up some in 
the centre, we lighted a fire. The flames, as they 
burned up, showed us the wild character of the place 
we were in. Dark rocks appeared here and there 
among the brushwood, and tall trees towered above 
our heads, effectually screening the light of our fire 


260 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

from any persons who might by chance have been in 
our neighbourhood. 

We boiled our cocoa, and parched our heads of 
Indian corn, and then prepared to rest. 

‘ W e might be worse off ; and so, mates, I don’t 
think we’ve any cause to complain,’ observed Ned Gale 
as he surveyed our abode. 

This was a favourite expression of his ; and he was 
always contented, whatever happened. I felt grateful; 
for though our prospects for the future were uncertain, 
we were at all events at liberty, with a fair chance of 
escaping our enemies. Ned Gale had a little black 
pipe which he prized much, and a small supply of 
tobacco, which he husbanded with the greatest care. 
He lighted his pipe, and sat over the fire enjoying his 
smoke in silence. 

As usual, we took it by turns to watch and to keep 
our fire alight. Pedro and Ned Gale had been sleep- 
ing for some time, when, finding that the fire required 
feeding, I rose to put some more sticks upon it. As 
the flames burst forth more brightly than before, their 
light shone on the high branches of the trees, when, 
happening to look up, I saw just above as a face 
peering down from among the foliage. It seemed to 
be watching us very attentively ; the owner fancying, 
probably, from his position, that he was unobserved. 
As he put his head more forward to get a better sight 
of us, I saw that he was an old black man with a white 
head; and immediately it struck me that he was em- 
ployed as a scout to watch us by the Spaniards. My 
first impulse was to rouse my companions. 

‘Ned Gale, Ned Gale,’ I sung out, ‘the Spaniards 
are after us I am afraid.’ 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


261 


He sprung to his feet, and looking anxiously around, 
grasped one of his pistols, like a man ever ready to 
■encounter danger. 

‘ Where are they?’ he asked. ‘ I don’t see them.’ 

‘ There, there,’ I answered, pointing at the trees. 

He and Pedro turned their eyes in the direction I 
indicated. There was now not only one negro looking 
at us, but several black faces, encircled with white hair, 
appeared among the branches. Instead of flying from 
our supposed enemies, they both burst into fits of 
laughter. 

‘Those Spaniards? Why, they are monkeys,’ ex- 
claimed Ned. ‘ Ha, ha, ha! Now, if I could bring one 
of them down, he might serve us for dinner to-morrow.’ 

I could not help joining in his laughter, though I 
had no fancy for eating a monkey. He threw up a 
piece of stick with all his force. It missed its aim, 
and served to send the whole troop scampering away, 
uttering mournful howls, to a distance, where they for 
some time kept up a concert, which effectually banished 
sleep. 

When the monkeys had ceased howling, Pedro began 
his watch, and I tried to obtain some rest. Ned Gale, 
with his sailor habits, very quickly was lost in the land 
of dreams ; but I was not so fortunate. I saw that 
Pedro was reading, and I did not wish to interrupt 
him. He every now and then shut his book and 
looked about him. He appeared to me to be on the 
watch, in expectation of some threatened danger. At 
last I gave up the attempt to sleep as hopeless. There 
was something in the air of the place, I believe, which 
affected me. My young companion had been sitting 
for some minutes lost in meditation. 


262 


MANGO, THE TERUVIAN CHIEF. 


‘ What are you thinking about, Pedro ? ’ I asked. 

‘ Of my father and mother,’ he answered, with a 
sigh. 

‘ Why, I thought you never knew them,* I observed. 

‘I have often dreamed of them though,’ he said. 
‘ Do you know, Senor David, that I sometimes fancy 
I may some day discover them. Had I the means of 
becoming educated as you are, and of obtaining a for- 
tune, I would employ it in searching for them.’ 

‘If we succeed in getting to England, I am sure my 
friends, in gratitude to you, will put you in the way of 
making your fortune,’ I replied. ‘ But I own I cannot 
see how this will enable you to find your parents, with- 
out any clue to guide you.’ 

‘ God, if He thinks fit, will point out the way,’ he 
answered. ‘ I put my trust in Him.’ 

I could say no more. This idea had, I found, be- 
come the absorbing one of his mind. 

‘ If my parents live, He too will show me the means 
through which I may discover them,’ I thought. 

I had never yet been thoroughly convinced of their 
loss. I was perfectly helpless I knew, and I felt 
forcibly that on Him alone could I place my trust. 
The feeling brought comfort and consolation; anc} 
lying down again, a soothing sleep soon stole over 
me. 

I was aroused by a shout from Ned Gale, who had 
taken Pedro’s place. I started up, and found the sailor 
with his pistol in one hand and his long stick in the 
other, about to spring into the thicket beyond us. The 
fire was almost extinguished, and daylight was appear- 
ing. I looked round for Pedro. To my horror he was 
nowhere to be seen. 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


263 


‘ Where is the young Spaniard ? ’ I exclaimed. 

‘ Follow me/ answered Ned, rushing forward. 

I seized a lighted branch, and with my stick in 
the other hand, I leaped after him. A shriek of 
terror and agony, which I could not doubt proceeded 
from Pedro, served to guide us. It was followed by a 
savage roar. 

‘ Save me ! save me !’ he shrieked. 

A movement in the bushes showed us more certainly 
where he was. 

‘A wild beast has got hold of the poor fellow!’ 
shouted Ned, bending the bushes before him as he 
hurried on. 

The branch I held in my hand was of a resinous 
nature, and burned brightly. It light showed us in a 
clear space, under a wide spreading shrub, poor Pedro 
on the ground, with a large jaguar standing over him. 
The attention of the savage animal had been attracted 
by our approach, and he stood glaring fiercely, un- 
certain whether to carry off his prey or spring at us. 
Ned was afraid of firing, lest we should miss the jaguar 
and hit Pedro. My torch was of more service than his 
pistol. I saw in a moment that the only chance of 
saving my friend was to frighten the beast, so, thought- 
less of the danger to myself, I sprung towards him, 
and dashed the burning brand in his face. I befieve I 
almost blinded him. With a roar, denoting pain and 
terror, he sprang on one side, when Ned rushed in, and 
dragged Pedro away from him. 

‘Fire — now fire,’ I shouted to Ned, thinking the 
jaguar was about to close with us. 

He lifted his pistol and fired. He was so close that 
the ball entered the beast’s head, and, giving a bound 


264 liANCO, THE PEllUVIAN CHIEF. 

forward, he fell to the ground struggling in mortal 
agonies. Once again he rose to his feet and attempted 
to seize me ; but my torch turned him aside, and before 
he could reach me he rolled over, and in another instant 
he was dead. I looked anxiously to see if Pedro was 
much hurt, or rather I scarcely expected to find him 
alive. At that moment a bright light burst forth, and 
I saw to my dismay that the bushes round us were in a 
fierce blaze. Ned was carrying Pedro in his arms, and 
dashing through the bushes towards the place where we 
had rested. 

‘ After me, mate, after me,* he cried. 

I did require to be told to hurry, for the flames 
were leaping up from all the surrounding shrubs, and 
climbing many of the higher trees. I overtook him 
before we reached our encampment. 

‘Pick up our traps and come along,’ shouted Ned, 
as he made his way towards the path by which we 
entered the glen. I stopped at our bivouac and col- 
lected our packages of provisions, and our other pro- 
perty. Just as I was coming away, my eye fell on 
Ned’s knife. I put it in my pocket, and was looking 
to see if I could find any other article, when the flames 
caught hold of the surrounding bushes, and warned 
me to beat a retreat. They crackled and hissed and 
roared in my rear as I ran on. A light breeze had 
sprung up, and blew them towards us. Fortunately 
the bright light they caused enabled us to see our way, 
or we should have had great difficulty in escaping from 
the glen. 

Heavy as Pedro was, Ned bore him like a child up 
the rough ascent. The fire flew from shrub to shrub, 
and extended in every direction ; the smoke, too, in« 


OUH FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


265 


•creased in denseness, and almost stifled us. I could 
scarcely breathe, and expected every moment to sink 
from exhaustion ; but the brave sailor was not to be 
daunted. Crying out to me to follow, he pushed on 
over all impediments. I kept close to him, and in a 
few minutes, which seemed an age, we reached the 
more level ground above the dell. Ned stopped for 
an instant to gather breath, but before I had time to 
discover more than that Pedro still breathed, we were 
compelled to continue our flight, not only by the ap- 
proach of the smoke and flames, but by a new danger. 
The jaguar we had killed was not the only inhabitant 
of the glen of his species, and as the path we had 
taken was the chief outlet in that direction, a number 
of animals of all descriptions came rushing out close 
to us. I had turned my head to look at the blazing 
furnace below us, when, to my dismay, I saw close 
behind me a huge animal, which I at once guessed 
was a female jaguar, followed by several cubs. I 
cried out to Ned to hurry on with his burden, and 
swinging my stick about me, I dealt her a heavy blow 
on the head, which appeared somewhat to astonish 
her. At any other time she would probably quickly 
have avenged the insult ; but, frightened by the flames, 
she merely uttered a growl of anger and turned on one 
side, followed by her hopeful progeny. We did not 
halt again till we reached a rocky mound, free from 
grass or shrubs, to which we had hopes the fire would 
not approach. 

It was now almost daylight, though the blazing dell 
afforded us ample light to see our way. ?Ted laid 
Pedro down, and we anxiously examined hia wounds. 
Ilis side and one of his arms, by which the jaguar had 


266 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

lifted him, were dreadfully torn, but we could discover 
no marks of the brute’s teeth. He was senseless, but 
this we hoped was caused more by terror and pain than 
from any mortal injury. We neither of us possessed 
any knowledge of surgery, so we had only our own 
sense to point out what was best to be done ; and in 
truth we had but little time for consideration, for the 
flames were already spreading beyond the glen, and 
might soon approach our retreat. 

‘We must wash the poor fellow’s hurts, and bind 
them up to stop the bleeding,’ said Ned. ‘ Where’s the 
water, mate? ’ 

We had a little left in our skin bottle, and pouring 
out some of it on my handkerchief, I wiped away the 
blood. My shirt, I remembered, was fortunately of linen.- 

‘ Here,’ I exclaimed to Gale, ‘ just tear off the sleeves 
for me ; they will serve for bandages.’ 

With a seaman’s promptness he did as I proposed, 
and we bound up the places where he was hurt, in a 
fashion which perhaps might not quite have satisfied a 
surgeon, though we performed the operation as weU 
as time would allow. Our patient had now began to 
recover, and after drinking a little water, he sat up 
and looked around with a gaze of amazement on the 
strange scene below us. The fire in the glen was 
raging furiously, and sending up dark columns of 
smoke to the sky. Animals of all descriptions were 
rushing forth from the conflagration, too terrified to- 
take any notice of us. Three or four fierce jaguars, 
with terrible bowlings, dashed by, followed by several 
huge serpents, who crawled, hissing, along over the 
ground, disturbed from their abodes among the roots; 
of the trees. A trooo of monkeys ran chattering 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


267 


away; and parrots and birds innumerable flew over 
our heads, driven from their long-accustomed homes. 

*It won’t do for us to remain here much longer,’ 
observed Ned. ‘Ask the young Spaniard how he 
feels, and whether he thinks he can get along.’ 

In reply Pedro answered me that he was able to 
walk, though it was not without difficulty that he 
hfted himself from the ground. However, as it was 
absolutely necessary for us to proceed on our journey, 
Ned and I, supporting him between us, began to de- 
scend the rock. There was, fortunately, a sandy track, 
free from grass, of considerable extent, on one side, 
across which we proposed to proceed. Ned had loaded 
his pistols, and we each of us kept our sticks in our 
hands, ready to defend ourselves from any of the wild 
beasts which might venture to attack us. The fire 
continued raging fiercely on our right as we hurried 
on, and ,we watched it with intense anxiety, to see 
whether it was advancing towards us. Had it taken 
place on the open prairies, which cover many portions 
of the continent, our escape would have been im- 
possible. As it was, our chance was at times doubt- 
ful. By ourselves we might have run for our lives; 
but our wounded companion impeded us, and I would 
have sacrificed myself sooner than have quitted him. 
The ground which we were then traversing was com- 
posed chiefly of rock and sand, but there was enough 
dry grass growing on it, should it catch fire, to scorch 
us very much, if not to destroy us ; and ahead, for some 
distance, it grew much thicker ; while beyond again 
there appeared a wide extent of sandy soil, which, if 
we could once reach, we should probably be in safety. 
As the sun rose, the wind shifted to a quarter which 


268 MAKCO, THE PEBUVIAN CHIEF. 

blew the flames more rapidly than heretofore towards 
us. Ned and I exerted ourselves to the utmost to 
drag on poor Pedro, who was not so well aware of 
our danger. Onward, in the shape of a wedge, ad- 
vanced the devouring flames with the sharp point first. 
This gradually thickened, spreading out on either side. 
Now a* rock or a sandy patch intervened, but they 
leaped over all impediments, the long dry grass catch- 
ing fire from the sparks which, like a vast courier of 
destruction, were borne forward by the breeze. I 
looked at Ned to learn from his looks what chance 
he thought we had of escaping, but his countenance 
did not betray the slightest sign of fear or doubt. 
The fire, it must be understood, had, in consequence 
of the direction the wind had before blown in our rear, 
been driven, in a straight line on our right a consider- 
able distance in advance of us ; and now, from the 
wind blowing from our right, it was taking a course 
directly across the path we were anxious to pursue. 
On our left the ground was covered with dry grass and 
underwood, so that we dared not to venture across it. 
The only course left us was, therefore, directly ahead. 

‘I am sorry we left the rock,’ said I, as we hurried 
on. 

‘We should have been fried brown by this time, if 
we had remained on it,’ answered Ned, giving a glance 
over his shoulder. ‘ Why, mate, the flames are dancing 
round it as merrily as waves in a storm. Cheer up ; 
we shall do well yet.’ 

Taking courage from him, I pushed on with renewed 
hope. But this did not last long. Every moment the 
fire got nearer and nearer ; and already it seemed to 
me that the path before us was cut off. By running 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


269 


very fast we might perhaps get across ; but with Pedro 
to help along, I thought we could not do it. I felt 
that I could not leave the poor fellow, and resolved to 
remain by him, and perish with him if so it must be ; 
but I saw no reason why the brave seaman should 
share our fate, when he might easily save himself. 

‘Ned,’ I cried, when we had reached a spot some- 
what more free from grass than the surrounding ground, 
‘ run for it, my good fellow, and save yourself. I can- 
not leave my friend, for I owe him much ; but he has no 
claim whatever upon you. Fly ! fly ! ’ 

‘What, mate? I should be a pretty sort of a sea- 
man if I was to do as you say,’ he exclaimed, stopping 
for a moment to address me. ‘ He’s a fellow-creature 
in distress, and that’s enough for Ned Gale, I hope. 
Run — ha! ha! Here, just lift him up on my back, 
and we’ll see what can be done.’ 

It was the work of a moment to do as he bid me ; 
and throwing me his knapsack, Ned, with Pedro on 
his shoulders, set off running, and I after him, as fast 
as our legs would carry us. I had before remarked 
the great strength Ned possessed when he chose to 
exert it. He now bore Pedro along as if he had been 
a child. Away we dashed right into the belt of tall 
grass, one end of which, not many hundred yards’ dis- 
tant, was ah-eady burning. The fire came hissing 
along towards us like a fiery serpent. Ned glanced at 
it over his shoulder, and increased his exertions. He 
saw that not a moment could be spared. As I saw it 
coming on, I almost shrieked with a terror I had never 
before felt ; and had I been alone I think I should have 
fallen. The fire was close upon us. There was a 
slight rise in the ground. We rushed up it. I thought 


270 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

that OUT doom was sealed, when, to my joy, I dis- 
covered that I had been deceived by the rise as to the 
width of the belt of grass. A few yards only of grass 
had to be passed, when beyond appeared the sandy 
plain, without a particle of herbage on it. We felt 
the heat of the foe — the flames were upon us. We 
dashed through the intervening space of grass, and 
ran on for a hundred yards before Ned thought of 
stopping. 

‘Here, mate!* he said at last. ‘Help the poor 
fellow down, and hand me a drop of water. It’s hot 
work, but we have escaped a frying this time at all 
events.* 

We put Pedro on the ground, and then, as he in- 
sisted on walking, we moved on a little further, and sat 
down by him to watch the progress of the conflagra- 
tion. It quickly worked its way across the belt we 
had passed across ; and then the scrub beyond towards 
the mountain caught fire and blazed up furiously, ex- 
tending far away to the east, till the whole country 
before us seemed one mass of flame. Had it been 
night it would have been magnificent, but we were 
truly glad that it was day, that we might more easily 
see our road. 

‘Well, I hope there are no poor people’s farms in 
that direction, or any Indians hiding away, for the fire 
doesn’t seem inclined to spare them,’ said Ned. ‘ And 
now, mates, let’s have some prog ; we’ve a long day’s 
journey before us, and have had a sharp morning’s 
work.’ 

We took our frugal meal, and then seeing that 
Pedro required some rest, we made him lie down for 
half an hour before we recommenced our journey. 


OUR FLIGHT WITH NED GALE. 


271 


‘I’m thinking, mate, that this fire will be bringing 
some Indians down to look at it,’ observed Ned, as we 
walked on. ‘ If they are friends they will be welcome, 
as they will help to carry our poor friend here. How- 
somdever “ it’s an ill wind that blows no one good,” 
and, to my mind, if any Spaniards are on our track they 
won’t much like crossing that little bit of blaze astern, 
till we are pretty well out of their reach.’ 

I agreed with him that I should much like to meet 
any friendly Indians. We had another reason for 
being anxious to do so, as our provisions were running 
short, and, at the slower rate we were now compelled 
to travel, would scarcely last us till we could reach 
that part of the country where I expected to find some 
of Manco’s followers. With regard to the Spaniards 
harming us, I did not think they would venture so far ; 
but should they have done so, the fire would afford us 
a better chance of escape, and prevent their dreadful 
bloodhounds from scenting out our track. Pedro bore 
up manfully in spite of the pain he suffered from his 
hurts. From the very temperate life he had led, his 
blood was cool and healthy, and no inflammation set 
in ; which I was afraid would have been the case. If 
people would but remember the great importance of 
temperance, and would avoid strong drinks, and take 
only a moderate portion of meat, they would escape 
much suffering from wounds and injuries to which all 
are liable, and which in so many cases prove fatal, 
although no vital part has been touched. I have seen 
the strongest men die from a slight scratch ; and the 
weakest apparently recover from the most terrible hurts. 
The strong men have eaten and drunk to gratify their 
palates ; the weak have eaten food to live. 


CHAPTER XYI. 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA — MANGO AGADT. 

We had for two days been travelling through a wild 
and mountainous country, skirting the base of the Cor- 
dilleras, which served as our guide, and looking out 
for a pass known to Pedi*o, by which we might cross 
them. Our provisions were expended, though we had 
frequent opportunities of replenishing our water-skins, 
which enabled us the better to support our fatigue. 
Eor some distance we passed over a portion of the 
great high road of the Incas, which led from Cuzco to 
Quito ; and as it was no longer used by the Spaniards, 
we had no fear of encountering them. It was far 
superior to any of the modern roads, and showed the 
high state of civilisation to which the Peruvians had 
arrived in those days. It was from about twenty-five 
to thirty feet broad, and paved with large flat stones. 
At intervals of about twelve paces I observed rows of 
smaller stones, laid horizontally and shghtly elevated ; 
thus making the road ascend gradually by a succession 
of terraces or steps. On each side of the road there 
was a low parapet wall of small stones. When I re- 
membered that this gigantic and finished piece of work 
extended for many hundred miles, from one end of the 
dominions of the Incas to the other, I felt greater 
regret than ever that the country had been wrested 


FALL IN WITH THE ARJIT OF THE INCA. 


273 


from them by a people who had so cruelly neglected its 
many advantages. 

By the side of the road, situated on hillocks within 
sight of each other, were small edifices, where the 
messengers who promulgated the commands of the 
Incas throughout the country were stationed. A 
signal was made whenever a messenger left one of the 
stations, and one from the next met him half way and 
received the despatch, which was then forwarded from 
successive stations till it reached its destination. We 
arrived towards the evening at one of these station- 
houses (many of which still remain in tolerable repair) ; 
and, as a storm was threatening, we resolved to make 
it our abode for the night. It was a small, low, round 
tower, but the roof was wanting, which was our first 
care to supply. For this purpose Ned and I tore off 
and cut down a number of branches from the trees 
which grew near ; and finding, in a hollow some way 
down the hill, a pool with rushes growing round it, we 
collected a sufficient supply to aid materially in forming 
a thatch. We left Pedro meantime to clean the floor, 
and to light a fire, though we only had some cocoa 
and a little Indian corn to cook by it. 

Returning with our materials, we placed the boughs 
across the top of the walls, with the rushes in the form 
of a rude cone verging from the centre above them. 
I then collected a number of stones, with which the road 
supplied us, and handing them up to Ned, he put them 
on the thatch to prevent its being blown away. Our 
work being speedily concluded, for Ned had a very 
systematic way. of doing everything, I bethought me 
of collecting some more rushes to form a bed for Pedro. 
I was hurrying down for the purpose, when on my way 
s 


274 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


I observed between tbe trees tbe walls of a building, 
standing on a level plot of ground. I called to Ned, 
and we set off together to examine it, for it struck me 
it was a small farm belonging to mestizos or Indians. 
We soon reached it, and I found I was not mistaken. 
The inhabitants had lately fled, the roof was off the hut, 
and the maize crop had been reaped. We were at 
fir^t without hopes of benefiting by our discovery ; but 
as I was looking about, I observed a fig-tree with 
some ripe figs on it, which I at once collected ; and on 
further search, Ned espied a herd of guinea-pigs nest- 
ling under the walls. To knock some of the little 
animals on the head, was the work of a minute. We 
would gladly have exchanged some of them for corn, 
but just as we were about to return to our tower, I 
discovered a few ears of maize still standing close to 
a wall. With much satisfaction I gathered all I could 
find. We had still more good fortune in store. Close 
to the front I caught sight of a she-goat with a young 
kid by her side. She had been a pet of the family, I 
suppose, for she did not run nway from us. Ned at 
once caught the kid, and carrying it in his arms, the 
mother came after it to our hut. 

‘I haven’t the heart to kill the little animal,’ ho 
observed; ‘but I’ll tell you what, mate, the mother 
shall give the young Don a bowl of milk. It will 
do him more good than all the doctor’s stuff in the 
world.’ 

Pedro could scarcely believe his senses when he saw 
us returning with our valuable prizes. We had now 
a supply of food to last us for many days, and we 
might, if we thought fit, remain and rest till Pedro 
was better able to proceed. We soon had a guinea- 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA. 275 

pig skinned and roasting before the fire ; and then Ned 
caught the goat, and, acting the part of a milk-maid, 
filled a tin jug with milk, which he insisted on Pedro 
swallowing. The figs were very fine, and after the 
coarse food on which we had so long lived, we found 
them most grateful to our palates. As we sat round 
our fire, in spite of the smoke, we felt ourselves in the 
enjoyment of abundance of luxury. Our fire-place was 
composed of a few stones ; some others served us for 
seats. Our meat was somewhat tough, and we were 
without salt. Parched maize served us for bread, 
and our beverage was cold water, while our beds were 
composed of rushes and leaves sprinkled on the bare 
ground ; but this was more than we had enjoyed for 
some time, and we had walls to protect us from the 
night breeze, and a roof to keep out the rain. Pedro 
and I were not merry, for we had too much cause for 
painful reflection. But we were contented, and Ned 
Gale declared that he was as happy as a prince — ^that 
he had weathered on the Dons, and had the prospect 
of a long cruise on shore. He fastened the kid up 
within our tower, but the old she-goat was turned out, 
as we knew that she would not stray far from her 
young one. It had not long been dark when the 
storm we had observed broke over our heads. The 
thunder rattled, the lightning flashed, and the rain 
came down in torrents ; but though a good deal found 
its way through the roof, we were able to pick out dry 
spots for our beds, and we had cause to be thankful 
that we were under shelter of any sort. As our abode 
also had stood for so many centuries, we had no fear 
of being washed away. We had collected a supply 
of stones to block up the lower part of the entrance ; 


276 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

and with some boughs in addition we constructed a 
door, which was sufficient, we thought, to keep out 
any wild beasts or other intruders. Before turning in, 
we cut the flesh off the other guinea-pigs, and smoked 
it over the fire; and we also parched a supply of 
maize, in case we should be unable to prepare it on 
any future occasion. Notwithstanding the tempest 
which was raging outside, we slept very soundly, 
Ned and I keeping alternate watches, for we were 
anxious to give Pedro as much rest as possible. Ned 
insisted on taking the first watch ; and when he awoke 
me, I found that the greater part of the night had 
passed away. I expostulated with him on making me 
take less than my share of watching. 

‘Never mind, mate,’ he replied; ‘you are young, and 
want sleep. I’m accustomed to do with very little, do 
you see. Often’s the time, for a month on a stretch, 
I’ve not had more than three or four hours out of the 
four-and-twenty, and have been roused up to shorten 
sail two or three times between them.’ 

The storm had passed away, and when I put my 
head out through the branches which formed the door 
of our abode, I saw that the stars were shining brightly 
in the deep blue sky. As I stood there inhaling the 
fresh breeze, that I might the more easily keep myself 
awake, I saw a dark object emerge from among the 
trees, and stop, as if looking cautiously around. It 
was standing in the shade, and at first I thought it was 
an Indian, though what his intention could be I could 
not divine. Presently he came more into the road, and 
advanced towards the tower, when I saw, to my no 
little dismay, that he was an enormous black bear. 
He had probably, I thought, scented us out; and I 


FALL IN WITH THE AKMY OF THE INCA. 


277 


fully expected a visit from him. I did not like to arouse 
Ned; but I took up one of his pistols which lay on his 
knapsack, and held it in my hand ready to give the 
gentleman a warm reception, should he venture to put 
his snout into the tower. On he came, waddling at a 
great rate down the road. 

‘He is certainly coming,’ I thought. ‘Now, if I 
miss him, he will give me a hug I shall not like.’ 

I cocked my pistol, and kept my stick ready to give 
him a poke in the eye, which would keep him at bay 
till Ned could jump up to my assistance. He stopped 
•for an instant, and gave a low growl: his instinct 
probably told him that some enemies were near. I 
drew back a httle, lest he should catch the glimmer 
of my eye. Then he again advanced quicker than 
before. He soon came so close to me that I felt 
almost certain that I could hit him; but still as I 
thought I might only wound him and make him 
savage, I did not like to fire. I scarcely dared to 
breathe or move. He passed on down the hill, and 
I again breathed freely. Presently I heard him give 
another growl, and directly afterwards I saw him 
waddling back again at a leisurely pace with some- 
thing in his paws. As he went by the tower, I per- 
ceived that it was the unfortunate she-goat, whose 
kid we had fastened within. I was determined, if I 
could not save, the poor goat’s life, at all events to 
deprive Master Bruin of his supper, and calling out 
to Ned, I dashed through the boughs in pursuit of 
him. It was hazardous work I own, but I had not 
a moment for thought. Had I, probably I should 
have acted more wisely. Ned was on his feet in a 
moment, and with his pistol in his hand in pursuit 


278 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

of the bear. Bruin saw us coming, but showed no 
inclination to relinquish his prey. He ran on at a 
great rate, and it was some time before we overtook 
him. Even when we were close to him, he continued 
his flight, apparently taking no notice of us. 

‘ Whatever you do, don’t fire, mate, before he shows 
his face ! ’ exclaimed Ned. ‘ Give him a poke in the 
neck ; it will make him turn perhaps.’ 

I accordingly gave him a plunge with my stick, 
keeping, however, beyond the reach of his paws 
should he turn suddenly round. Even this did not 
make him stop, so I gave him another dig, which at 
last brought him to bay, though he still kept hold of 
the goat. Immediately he faced about. Ned fired 
his pistol, aiming at his eye. The ball took effect, 
and, with a growl of fury, the beast rushed at us, at 
the same time dropping the goat. On this we re- 
treated down the road, repenting not a little of our 
folly in having attacked him. Seeing that the bear 
had received no mortal injury, Ned snatched the other 
pistol from my hand, and waited steadily till the bear 
got within arm’s length of him. I trembled for his 
safety, but resolved not to let him stand the brunt of 
the combat alone. I made a desperate charge with 
my stick. This distracted the attention of Bruin, who 
seized hold of my stick, and at the same moment Ned 
fired. The ball hit him, I saw, but was afraid had 
not mortally wounded him, for, with a loud growl, 
he sprung upon my companion. Ned, however, was 
on the alert, and leaped nimbly on one side, as I did 
on the other, and the brute fell headlong over on his 
snout. We could not help giving a shout of triumph 
at our victory, which made Pedro, who had been 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA. 270 

awakened by the shots, hurry up to us, wondering 
what was the matter. We were not quite certain 
that our foe was really dead ; but a few pokes with 
our sticks at length convinced us that he was so, and 
we therefore ventured to examine him. The ball from 
the last shot had hit him in the eye, and entered his 
brain. 

‘Some bear steaks won’t be bad things,’ observed 
Ned. ‘ Now mates, let’s look after the goat. I had 
made sure of a cup of milk for Pedro this morning.’ 

We found the goat a little way off, but Bruin had 
hugged the breath out of its body, and it was dead. 
Pedro and I thereon dragged the goat close to the 
hut, while Ned was employed in cutting the proposed 
steaks out of the bear. 

‘ You see, mates, it won’t do to leave the work for the 
morning, for before that time the condors, the jaguars, 
and the pumas will be down upon him, and tear every 
scrap of meat from his bones, he remarked. ‘ I wish 
he had been rather farther off, for the beasts will keep 
up such a concert that we shan’t be able to sleep much 
more to-night.’ 

When he had finished operating on the bear, he 
began on his victim, observing that though goats’ 
flesh was somewhat strong, it would serve to make a 
variety in our provisions. We had now more meat 
than we could well carry, it addition to which, as the 
kid could not live without its mother, we were obliged 
to sacrifice that also. On re-entering our abode, Pedi'o 
and I employed ourselves in cutting the meat into slips 
and diying it before the fire, while Ned again laid down 
to obtain his share of rest. Pedro told me that the 
species of bear we had killed lived chiefly on fruits and 


280 


MANCO, THE PERCVIAN CHIEF. 


vegetables, and that he often commits great ravages 
in the maize-fields of the Indians, by breaking off the 
green tops and carrying them away to his hole in the 
mountains; but when he cannot obtain that sort of 
food, he will catch deer and wild boars, and will even 
attack the oxen employed in the sugar-mills on the 
plantations. He has also been known, when pressed by 
hunger, to assail solitary travellers in the mountains. 

In the morning, when we went out of our tower, we 
saw that several condors had been attracted by the 
carcase of the bear, and were tearing it to pieces. 
They flapped their huge wings, and glared fiercely 
at us with their red eyes as we watched them; but 
did not quit their banquet, from which we had no 
wish to disturb them. After a hearty breakfast, with 
renewed spirits and confidence we proceeded on our 
way. I have not space to recount all our adventures, 
and must for the future describe only those which 
were the most interesting. 

We climbed mountains, and traversed glens, and 
crossed torrents by the bridges I have often men- 
tioned; and yet, day after day, not a human being did 
we meet. Of course we kept as much as possible at 
a distance from their habitations ; but the few farms 
we passed were deserted, and we had no doubt that 
the women and children had been removed to more 
secluded spots, while the men had gone to join the 
army of Tupac Amaru. 

A week had passed, and we were resting to take our 
midday meal, in a sheltered glen, under the shade of 
some lofty trees. Pedro, notwithstanding the exertions 
he had undergone, had almost recovered from his hurts ; 
and I never felt myself in better health and strength, 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA. 281 

while Ned scarcely knew what fatigue or illness meant. 
Our provisions had again run short, though we had 
collected a little Indian corn at some of the deserted 
farms we had passed. 

‘WelV said Ned, who had lighted his pipe and 
stretched himself out on his back, ‘ I shan’t be sorry 
when we get to the big river you speak of. Walking 
is very pleasant exercise, especially when one hasn’t 
half a hundredweight of traps and provisions to carry ; 
but it’s very slow work you’ll allow. I like to spank 
along with a ten-knot breeze across the open ocean, 
with studden-sails alow and aloft ; or to glide down a 
river with a strong current and fair breeze. Ah, mate, 
if you ever come to sea with me in a smart craft, you’ll 
know what moving fast means.’ 

I told him that I should like nothing better, and that 
I longed to begin our voyage down the Amazon ; but 
that I must first communicate with my Indian friends, 
to learn if they had gained any tidings of my parents ; 
for still I clung to the hope that they might have 
escaped destruction. Pedro also was unwilling to leave 
the country without again seeing his friends. We were 
all talking very eagerly about our proposed plans, when 
a loud yell made us start to our feet, and, looking up, 
we saw a number of Indians posted on the heights 
above us. Some had bows, with their arrows ready 
drawn to shoot us ; and others had slings in their 
hands, which they were whirling round with heavy 
stones, prepared to hurl at our heads. In another mo- 
ment we should have had a shower of deadly mis- 
siles rattling about us ; when Pedro, rushing towards 
them, shouted out, in the Quichua language, that we 
were friends of the Inca. In an instant the arrows 


282 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

were withdrawn and the slings ceased to whirl, and 
the Indians came hurrying down the sides of the moun- 
tain. In another minute we found ourselves surrounded 
by a large band of warriors. They examined us at- 
tentively, not being able to make out who we could be, 
though the words spoken by Pedro proved that we 
were not enemies. Ned Gale, especially, caused them 
much surprise, for they certainly had never seen a 
human being like him before. When their chief 
arrived, he listened to the account Pedro gave him, 
and replied that though he had no doubt it was correct, 
we must accompany him to the presence of the Inca 
and his chiefs, who were encamped at the distance of 
some days’ journey. 

‘ I suppose it’s all right, mates,’ observed Ned, when 
I told him what had been said. ‘ For my part, I’m 
ready to go and see this new king of the Injuns, as 
they call him ; and if he’s an honest chap, and wants a 
helping hand, why I’m ready to give it him. Just you 
tell them that.’ 

I did not exactly translate Ned’s message ; but I 
told the Indians that we were anxious to see the Inca, 
and would be happy to be of any service to him in 
our power. 

The Indians were, I found, on their way to join the 
army ; and as they wished to continue their march, 
they desired us to pack up our traps and accompany 
them. They looked upon us, I found, somewhat in the 
light of prisoners ; though of this we had no reason to 
complain, as they were naturally suspicious of strangers, 
who might act as spies on their movements. We were 
treated kindly, but were narrowly watched whenever 
the party halted to rest. Though not better equipped. 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA. 283 

they were far more civilised than most of the tribes 
who composed the army of Tupac Catari; and they 
marched with some regularity, and took all necessary 
precautions to guard against surprise. We learned 
from them that the Spaniards, having recovered from 
the alarm into which they had been thrown at the com- 
mencement of the outbreak, were collecting in consider- 
able force in the neighbourhood of Cuzco, to defend 
that city from an attack which Tupac Amaru was 
threatening to make on it. 

‘ It matters not,’ observed the cacique, who was my 
informant. ‘ The more who collect, the greater number 
of our foes shall we overwhelm with one blow.* 

I ventured to doubt this ; but he replied — 

‘ Stay till you see the army of the Inca, and try to 
number our standards ; then tell me if you think the 
white faces can withstand them.’ 

I thought it better not to dwell on the subject, for 
fear of irritating the chief ; but I recalled to my memory 
the handful of Spaniards who conquered the well-trained 
armies of the Inca Atahualpa, and had little hope for 
the success of his descendant, Tupac Amaru, with his 
host of undisciplined levies ; though doubtlessly their 
opponents had greatly degenerated from the hardy 
warriors who fought under Pizarro. 

As it was necessary to supply food for the army, and 
we were passing through a part of the country where 
the vicunas abounded, the party halted to engage in a 
grand hunt, which is termed a chacu. About two 
hundred men were told off for this purpose ; some re- 
maining encamped, and others being sent as scouts, to 
the rear, to ascertain that no Spaniards were following 
us. Pedro, Ned, and I were invited by the cacique 


284 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

to accompany him. Half the party were supplied with 
weapons called holas. These holas were composed of 
three balls of lead or stone, at one ene of as many long 
lines, formed of the twisted sinews of the vicuna, the 
opposite ends being fastened together. One ball is 
rather lighter than the others, and when used, this is 
held in the hand, while the heavier ones are swung in 
a circle round the head. When the Indian is about 
twenty paces from the object he wishes to strike, he 
lets go the lighter ball, and the weapon flies off, and 
the strings encircle in many folds the neck or legs of 
the animal. 

Besides the holas^ the party had procured from the 
neighbouring villages a quantity of rope and a number 
of stakes, and with them we repaired to an extensive, 
elevated plain, where many herds of vicunas were ob- 
served feeding. Having selected a spacious level spot, 
the stakes were planted in the ground, at a distance of 
fifteen feet apart, and were connected together by the 
ropes about two feet and a half from the ground. A 
circular space was thus formed, of perhaps a mile 
and a half in circumference, an opening of about two 
hundred paces being left to serve as an entrance. 
Along the rope were fastened bits of coloured rags, 
which blew about in the breeze, and were intended to 
frighten the animals, and prevent them from leaping 
over the barrier. This enclosure is properly called a 
cliacu. It being arranged, we withdrew, and breaking 
into a number of small parties, we formed a circle at 
a little distance apart from each other, and several 
miles across. We then began to close, driving before 
us, with loud shouts, all the herds of vicunas we met 
with. The men opposite the entrance advanced more 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OP THE INCA. 285 

slowly than the rest ; and the timid animals, seeing the 
fluttering bits of cloth, ran before us with affright, till 
they reached the open space, when they darted into the 
chacu. Some fifty vicunas were thus in a very short 
time collected, when the Indians, running among them, 
began throwing their holas with the greatest dexterity, 
never failing to entangle the legs of the game, which 
they speedily killed with their clubs or knives. Some- 
times the Indians use the lola on horseback ; and I 
must remark that it requires great dexterity to do so 
with effect, as a clumsy person is very likely to twist 
the cords round his own neck or that of his steed, in- 
stead of the animal he is hunting. As soon as the 
vicunas were killed, they were carried off to the camp 
to be skinned and cut up ; and we then moved to a 
distance, to form a new chacu. During three days, 
which we passed in the neighbourhood, we killed two 
hundred vicunas ; and then, laden with their flesh, we 
continued our journey. 

The vicuna is a more beautiful animal than either 
the llama or the alpaca. It is between them in size, 
measuring four feet from the ground to the top of the 
head, and two and a half feet from the ground to the 
shoulders. The neck is longer and more slender ; and 
the wool is finer, short, and curly. The top of the 
head, neck, and back, and the thighs, are of a peculiar 
reddish hue ; and the inner part of the limbs and the 
lower part of the neck are of a bright ochre colour ; 
and the breast and lower part of the body is white. 
Each herd consists of from six to fifteen females and 
one male, who, standing at a distance, acts the part of 
guardian, while the rest are grazing, and when danger 
approaches, gives a peculiar whistle and stamp of the 


286 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


foot. The herd look, with outstretched necks, in the 
direction of the danger, and then take to flight, the 
male stopping every now and then to cover their re- 
treat, and watch the movements of the enemy. Should 
he be killed or wounded, the Indians declare that the 
females will gather round him in a circle, and uttering 
shrill cries of lamentation, will suffer themselves to be 
destroyed rather than desert him. 

As we proceeded on our march, we fell in with 
many other parties of Indians, advancing in the same 
direction ; some of whom were of the savage tribes 
from the far interior, summoned to swell the host of 
the Inca. Many of them were accompanied by troops 
of llamas, carrying provisions. Some of these had 
bells hung round their necks, and were adorned with 
bows of ribbons at their ears. They proceeded at a 
slow pace, carrying their long, graceful necks some- 
thing like the camel, and gazing anxiously around on 
either side with their wild prominent eyes, to watch 
the movements of their guides, or to observe the ap- 
pearance of the country. They were of a variety of 
colours; brown, black, white, and pie-bald. I may 
here remark that the extreme height of the animal, 
from the sole of the foot to the top of the head, is not 
more than four feet and from six to eight inches ; and 
from the sole of the foot to the shoulder, rather under 
three feet. Their frames are so slight that they will 
not carry a load of more than about seventy pounds 
weight ; but they have the valuable qualification of 
being able to live many days, and even months, with- 
out drinking, owing to their power of generating saliva 
in their mouths. 

Other parties had mules for the same purpose. Some 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA. 287 

were on horseback, and formed an irregular and very 
Scythian-like looking cavalry. Several bands of those 
on foot were followed by their wives and children ; 
showing that they felt confident of victory, and came 
prepared to take possession of the territories they 
hoped to conquer. At length, after passing through a 
dark gorge, and climbing a steep acclivity, we once 
more began to descend; when, from the height on 
which we stood, we looked down upon the vast army 
of the Inca, collected on a plain, or rather wide valley, 
between ranges of lofty mountains. 

‘ What say you now ? ’ exclaimed the cacique, with 
a look of triumph. ‘ Do the white faces dream of the 
mighty host collected to liberate for ever the kingdom 
of the Incas from their cruel hands ? * 

‘ I have heard that it was prophesied that the king- 
dom of the Incas should be restored by the people of 
my country. There are none of them there,’ I replied. 

‘ It is true,’ said the cacique. ‘ But if you and your 
bold friend were to fight by the side of the Inca, might 
not the prophecy be thus fulfilled ? ’ 

I at once saw the mistake I had made in thus speak- 
ing ; for I felt that I might be compelled, contrary to 
the advice my father had . given me, to engage actively 
in a contest in which I had no personal interest. 

Before I had time to reply, the signal of advance 
was given, and the party hurried down the steep to 
join their comrades in the valley. Far as the eye 
could reach in either direction, and even up the moun- 
tains sides, were extended the vast host of the Inca, 
drawn up in battle array. From among their dusky 
lines arose a forest of waving banners, long lances, and 
battle-axes, tossing to and fro, and glittering in the 


288 BIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

rays of the noonday sun which shone down upon their 
heads. At intervals might be seen rich panoplies of 
feather work and lofty plumes, marking the post of 
some leading cacique, or Inca noble. Some way to 
the right, on a rising ground, rose the magnificent 
canopy under which the Inca Tupac Amaru was to be 
found, surrounded by his generals and nobles. 

As the march was about to commence, our con- 
ductors hurried us down the hill past the crowded 
ranks of the army, towards the spot where the Inca 
was stationed. When a little distance off, he went 
forward alone, and prostrating himself before the 
monarch, announced the arrival of some captives. 
The Inca immediately ordered us to be brought before 
him. He was seated under the canopy on a cushioned 
throne, richly ornamented with gold; and on either 
side of him were ranged a dense mass of his chiefs and 
councillors, all dressed in garments similar to those 
worn by their ancestors. Tupac Amaru himself was 
habited as tradition has described Atahualpa ; and he 
wore as a crown the crimson horla^ or fringe, which 
hung down as low as the eye-brow, and gave a very 
pecuhar expression to his grave and handsome coun- 
tenance. I have before mentioned that he was a tall 
and dignified person; and he looked well worthy in 
every respect to be the sovereign of the assembled 
multitude. When he saw us he beckoned us to ap- 
proach, and made inquiries of our conductor respect- 
ing us, not knowing that Pedro and I understood the 
Quichua language. The cacique simply stated where 
he had found us, and replied that we could answer for 
ourselves. 

I begged Pedro to act as spokesman, and he gave 



DAVID AM) ms COMPANIONS BEFORE THE INCA. 


Page 288 





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PALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA. 289 

a short account of our adventures, as well as of my 
history. The Inca seemed much interested, and as- 
sured us of his protection ; at the same time inviting 
us to accompany him in his march to lay siege to 
Cuzco. Pedro in reply, having expressed our grati- 
tude to the Inca, entreated to be allowed to remain 
behind, assuring the Inca that he was ready to lay 
down his life for the benefit of the Indians, but that 
the Spaniards were his countrymen and he could not 
fight against them. The nobles who stood round 
seemed very much offended at this ; but the Inca ob- 
serving that he should consider the subject, turned to 
Ned and asked him what he would do. I put the 
question to him in English. 

‘ Tell His Majesty, if it’s to fight the Dons, I’ll help 
him with all my heart,’ he at once replied. ‘It comes 
natural like, and it won’t be the first time I’ve been at 
blows with them. I owe them a grudge, too, for kill- 
ing as honest a fellow as ever stepped, and that was 
my late skipper. Tell him all that, mate, and say I’m 
his man whenever he wants me.’ 

The Inca appeared much pleased at Ned’s reply, 
which I interpreted; but he seemed less inclined to 
treat Pedro and me with favour. My turn came next. 
I own that I felt great reluctance to refuse fighting, 
and having no sufficient excuse to offer, was about to 
answer that I was ready to serve in any capacity the 
Inca might desire, when a loud shout was raised, and 
a fresh body of Indians was seen hurrying down the 
mountain’s side. A chief came at their head, and I 
looked towards him as the loud shouts of those around 
me gave him welcome. I could scarcely believe my 
eyes. It was my friend Manco ! I was certain of it ; 


290 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


and forgetting the presence of the Inca and his nobies, 
I rushed forward to meet him. 

It was Manco in reality. We clasped each other’s 
hands, and for a time could scarcely 'speak. He had 
thought me dead, or lingering in a Spanish prison, while 
I till now had been uncertain of his fate. He told 
me that when he was led out to be shot, it had occurred 
to him that by keeping his eye on the soldiers he might 
drop as they fired, and allow the balls to fly over him ; 
and that as he knew a number of Indians were collected 
on the other side of the river, by swimming across, they 
might assist him to escape. He never lost his presence 
of mind, and watching for the moment the soldiers 
drew their triggers, he fell to the ground, instantly again 
springing up and flying to the river. Before the smoke 
from the muskets had cleared away, he had plunged in 
and was swimming across. Several bullets struck the 
water close to him, but landing uninjured, he and his 
friends set off towards the mountains as rapidly as they 
could proceed. They were pursued by a strong body 
of Spanish soldiers, who followed them to their retreat. 
It was several days before they could elude their enemies, 
and they had then marched through a number of Indian 
villages to collect recruits, before joining the army. 

After he had paid his respects to the Inca, he intro- 
duced Pedro and me as his friends, and we at once per- 
ceived that we were regarded in a more favourable light 
than before. We accordingly obtained permission to 
remain with him; but as the Inca was desirous of having 
Ned to assist in working his artillery, several pieces of 
which were with their army, we very unwillingly were 
compelled to part from him. 

Manco having performed his public duties, now set 


FALL IN WITH THE ARMY OF THE INCA. 291 

out in search of his wife and child, whom he heard were 
with the women in the camp. Notice had been given 
to Nita of his escape from death and safe return, and 
she with her infant was ready to receive him. This 
meeting was very affecting ; and as the brave warrior 
once more took his child in his arms, he wept over it 
for joy. He could not, however, remain with her long, 
for his duties called him back to the army. 

‘Pedro, my friend,’ he said, ‘I know you would not 
fight against your countrymen ; to your charge, there' 
fore, I commit my wife ; watch over her, and guard her 
from danger. If I fall, carry her and my child to a 
place of safety, and restore her, when times of peace 
again return, to her father and her people.’ 

Pedro with tears promised to obey his wishes. 

‘And you, David, what will you do ?’ he asked. 

‘ I will .accompany you,’ I replied, forgetting my 
former resolutions, and inspired with admiration for 
the gallant chieftain. ‘I will fight by your side, and 
help to, restore peace and prosperity to Peru.’ 


292 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

SIEGE OF SARATA — CAPTURE OP TUPAC AMARU. 

We found the head quarters of the Inca established in 
an ancient castle, built of large hewn stones on the side 
of a mountain, and which, from its size and mode of 
construction, is still one of the wonders of Peru. Here 
he held his court, and was treated with all the honours 
due to a sovereign prince. I was particularly struck 
with the amount of etiquette which was maintained, 
when I recollected that the Inca himself had, but a few 
months before, been living the life of a simple farmer, 
as had his chiefs and councillors, and that many of them 
had indeed been little better than slaves to the Spaniards. 
Manco informed me that it had been resolved to despatch 
him with a force of ten thousand men to join a body 
of the same number under the command of Andres 
Tupac Amaru, the young son of the Inca, who was 
laying siege to Sarata, a large town not far from the 
lake of Titicaca ; and he begged me to accompany him. 
I was sorry to be separated from Ned Gale, but he 
said that the Inca had put the guns under his charge, 
and as they were not to go, he would stick by them. 

I was furnished with a very good horse, and took 
my place by the side of Manco. The men being amply 
supplied with cacao every day, without apparent fatigue 
performed forced marches which would have completely 


SIEGE OF SAKATA. 


293 


Imocned up any European troops. As we advanced, 
we found that all the white inhabitants had fled and 
taken refuge in the town, where it was said twenty 
thousand people were collected. My readers may be 
assured that my great object was, if possible, to miti- 
gate the horrors which I dreaded would take place 
should my Indian friends prove successful. On our 
arrival we found the young Andres closely investing the 
town, the inhabitants of which were already suffering 
from famine, though they had sternly refused to listen 
to a summons which had been sent in to them to sur- 
render. They had just before made a sortie, when the 
Indians had lost a number of men ; but they were, after 
much desperate fighting, again compelled to retire 
within their trenches. The Indians had taken several 
prisoners, among whom was a priest ; and as soon as 
we arrived he was sent in with a second summons, 
containing offers of peace on such conditions as might 
be agreed on between commissioners to be appointed on 
both sides. The young general, with Manco and other 
chiefs, were standing on a hill overlooking the town 
when the priest proceeded on his mission. 

‘ What is proposed to be done if the inhabitants 
refuse your terms ? ’ I asked. 

‘ Look there,’ he replied. ‘ You see that from the 
river which passes at a short distance from us, there is 
a deep ravine leading to the town, and somewhat lower 
than its banks. By blocking up the course of the river, 
we propose to turn its waters into the ravine, when they 
will rush down and speedily flood the ramparts, and 
wash them away.’ 

I doubted the power of the Indians to perform this. 

* Think you not the descendants of - those men who 


294 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

formed these great roads, and built the castles and 
palaces which still endure, can perform so small a task 
as that?’ he replied. ‘ Wait, my friend, till you see.’ 

After a considerable delay the priest returned, and 
acknowledging that the inhabitants were reduced to 
feed upon mules, dogs, cats, and rats, said that they 
agreed to the proposed terms, with a truce of two days. 
During this time numbers of half-famished wretches 
were allowed freely to wander out and collect all the 
food they could from the Indians. At the end of the- 
time two officers of the garrison came out, and sent a 
message by the priest, stating that they were deputed 
to act as commissioners, and proposed that the enemy 
should retire to a distance, while the chiefs should meet 
them midway between the troops and the town. 'No 
objection was made, and young Andres, Manco, and 
other chiefs, with about twenty followers, repaired to 
the proposed spot. Scarcely had they arrived there 
than some of their sentinels, posted on a neighbouring 
hill overlooking the town, gave notice that the Spaniards 
were collecting in great force at the gates, and were 
evidently meditating a sortie to capture the chiefs. 
On this the two Spaniards who were approaching the 
place of meeting, attempted to escape into the town ; 
but the Indians intercepting them, cut them down as 
a strong party of the garrison rushed from the gates. 
The chiefs, vowing vengeance for the meditated 
treachery, had barely time to retreat; their forces 
came hurrying up for their protection ; and the seige 
once more commenced with greater activity than 
before. 

The Indians mustered nearly a thousan,d muskets, 
with which they kept up a hot fire on the trenches ; 


SIEGE OF SARATA. 


295 


besides which, they assailed the town with flights of 
arrows, showers of stones and burning darts, which set 
fire to many of the houses where they fell. Still the 
town held out, and the leaders, anxious to proceed to 
other conquests, sent in a third summons to the garrison 
to surrender. Another priest was the bearer. I waited 
with much anxiety for his return, as the Indians had 
vowed to destroy all the inhabitants, should the town 
be taken after their offer had a third time been refused. 
I was not, indeed, quite certain that, in case of a sur- 
render, some of the chiefs and their followers did not 
meditate treachery. They were, it must be remembered, 
ignorant savages, and on too many occasions the 
Spaniards had set them an example they were likely 
to imitate. 

I took my food each day with Manco on a hill over- 
looking the town, from whence a perfect view could be 
obtained of the whole sceAe of operations. During the 
absence of the envoy hostilities had ceased, and the 
Indians had withdrawn to a distance from the trenches. 
They now formed a circle round the town, their cavalry 
occupying every level space, and the infantry covering 
the surrounding hills with dense masses. The river 
flowed calmly by; the valleys looked bright and smiling ; 
and the town itself seemed wrapped in perfect repose. 
Alas! it was the repose which precedes dissolution. 
At length the priest was seen issuing from the gates, and 
taking his way with a sorrowful countenance towards 
the quarters of the young Indian general. We im- 
mediately repaired there. The inhabitants, mistrusting 
the Indians, as I concluded, refused to surrender. 

‘ Then their doom is sealed,’ said Andres ; and forth- 
with gave orders to block up the course of the river, 


296 .'\IANCOj THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

SO as to direct it into the ravine communicating with 
the town. 

Several thousand men were employed day and night 
at this work, while the rest kept the besieged in play. 
After two weeks’ incessant labour, the works were 
declared complete, and the whole army prepared for a 
general assault. I took up my usual post to watch 
the result, hoping for the sake of humanity that it might 
fail, but induce the inhabitants to submit. At a given 
signal the embankments were knocked down, and the 
water in a vast torrent rushed towards the town, flood- 
ing the entrenchments and shaking the walls. They, 
however, withstood the shock, and the brave defenders 
again returned to the shattered works from which they 
had been driven. Once more the sluices were shut, and 
the inhabitants were left to fancy that the threatened 
danger had passed by. The next morning, however, 
the Indians again surrounded the devoted town ; in an 
increased volume the water was made to pass through 
the ravine, and sweeping onward in a terrific torrent, 
it rushed down upon the trenches and ramparts, carry- 
ing all before it. The defenders fled in dismay from 
their posts ; the signal for advance was given, and the 
Indians, led on by their fiercest chiefs, dashed through 
the newly -formed breach and entered the town. 

I would willingly draw a veil over the scene of horror 
which ensued. Little or no opposition was offered; 
but the spirit of vengeance was aroused, and not a 
man they encountered escaped. Prayers and entreaties 
were disregarded — death was dealt on every side. 
Those who attempted to fly were driven back ; and of 
the twenty thousand persons who in the morning 
walked alive through the streets, women only and a 


SIEGE OF SARATA. 


297 


few priests, and one or two laymen, who had taken 
refuge within the church, were spared. I had earnestly 
entreated Manco to do his utmost to save the lives of 
those who offered no resistance, pointing out to him the 
policy of so doing ; and through his means chiefly those 
few persons were preserved from destruction. He had 
claimed some of them as his own property; and for 
their better protection they were brought to the hut he 
and I inhabited, on a hill a short distance from the 
town. 

Among them was a man whose deep dejection, and 
countenance, and manners, deeply interested me. 
Though his dress was soiled and bloody, I at once 
perceived that he was a gentleman. 

‘ Alas !’ he said, ‘ I have been the child of misfortune 
from my earliest days. Whenever any bright prospect 
has appeared before me, it has vanished ere I could 
enjoy it. I married a wife ; she was young and beau- 
tiful; but poverty oppressed us, and she had been 
accustomed to wealth and luxury. A child was born 
to us, and I trusted it would reconcile her to our lot ; 
but as we were travelling through the country, we were 
attacked by the Montoneros, and the infant, and the 
nurse who had charge of him, were carried away to 
the mountains and slain, for we could never again hear 
tidings of either of them. For years I toiled on till I 
amassed a handsome fortune; but scarcely was it 
obtained, when death deprived me of my wife. I had 
laid out my money in the purchase of an estate, in the 
cultivation of which I had resolved to employ myself 
till heaven should allow me to join my wife and child 
in another world, when this dreadful outbreak com- 
menced, and reduced me to beggary. By a strange 


298 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


fate, thougli all my companions have been destroyed^ 
I still am bound to life, which I would gladly havo 
quitted.’ 

Don Gomez de Castro, I learned, was the prisoner’s 
name. Om* conversation, which had been prolonged 
till a late hour, for it was now night, was interrupted 
by a blaze of light, which illuminated the whole sky. 
Hurrying to the door of the hut, the cause became ap- 
parent. The unfortunate town of Sarata was on fire. In 
every direction the flames were bursting furiously forth, 
till the entire place became one burning mass. Don 
Gomez, as he looked at the scene, wrung his hands, 
and wept bitterly. The fire raged all night ; and next 
morning nothing remained of Sarata but a heap of 
smouldering ashes. The Indians triumphed, as savages 
alone may be excused in triumphing, over their fallen 
enemies. The priests who had been rescued, were, 
however, treated with respect ; which showed the ex- 
traordinary influence they had obtained over the minds 
of the people. Had it been more beneficially exerted, 
by teaching them the simple truths of pure Christianity, 
it would assuredly have prevented the horrors of the 
outbreak; but I fear them aim had rather been to 
establish their power, for their own selfish advantage, 
than for the sake of rehgion. ‘ By their fruits ye shall 
know them.’ 

A council of war was now held; when the young 
General Andres resolved to advance upon the town of 
La Paz ; while Manco, with five thousand men, was 
to keep the communication open with the north, where 
he was to rejoin Tupac Amaru. 

I rejoiced at this, for I was anxious to see Pedro- 
and Ned Gale again ; and I own, from the scenes I had 


SIEGE OF SAHATA. 


299 * 


witnessed, I longed to quit the Indian army, and to 
commence our proposed journey towards Europe. We 
marched as rapidly as before ; the cavalry scouring the 
country in every direction, and now and then reporting 
that they had met and destroyed a few of the enemy ; 
but no prisoners were brought in. 

I had often expostulated with Manco in vain, on the 
wanton destruction of human life. His answer was, 
‘ We treat the Spaniards as they treated us. I cannot 
prevent my people from taking vengeance.’ 

Yet, strange to say, every chief made a point of 
attaching to himself, as a Christian chaplain, one of the 
priests who had been saved from the captured towns 
and villages. 

As we approached the neighbourhood of Cuzco, 
intelligence was brought us that the Spaniards had 
collected in great force in that city ; and that having 
been joined by a number of Indian tribes from Chili, 
and further to the south, they were well prepared to 
give battle to Tupac Amaru. On hearing this, we re- 
doubled our efforts to join the main army. We found 
them drawn up in the neighbourhood of Tungasuca, in 
an extensive flat, with a hill on one side, and a river in 
their rear, prepared to receive the enemy, who were 
advancing along a valley in their front. A strong body 
was posted on the hill, where the artillery was likewise 
stationed. I at once repaired there, in the hopes of 
finding Hed ; but the cacique who had command of it 
received me very coldly, and informed me that the 
services of my countryman were no longer required, 
and that he could not tell where he was. This chief 
went by the name of Quizquiz, after a famous general 
of the Inca Atahualna. I had met him before. I did 


300 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

not like either his countenance or his maimers ; but the 
Inca had confidence in him, and listened to his advice. 
He had become, I suspected, jealous of Ned, and did 
not like his interference. 

After wandering about for some time among the 
motley -assemblage of dusky warriors, I found my old 
friend in the rear, sitting on the ground, and quietly 
smoking his pipe. As soon as he saw me, he jumped 
up and wrung my hand heartily. 

‘ Tm glad to see you, mate, that I am,’ he exclaimed. 

‘ I’ve been waiting for you, to be off ; for the sooner 
we are out of this, the better, I’m thinking. A set of 
lubbers there have got hold of the guns, which they 
don’t know how to work ; and they’ll do themselves no 
good, and the enemy no harm, when they begin to 
fight, I warrant. The Inca is as fine a fellow as ever 
stepped ; but for that Senor Quizquiz, or whatever 
they call him, he’ll play him some trick, or my name’s 
not Ned Gale ; mark that, mate.’ 

Ned having thus vented his spleen, as many another 
man would have done at having been deprived of his 
command, told me that Pedro was at a village among 
the hills in the neighbom'hood, anxiously waiting my 
return. He informed me also that the wife of the 
Inca, Nita, and a large number of other women were 
collected there. Accompanied by Ned, I returned to 
where Manco with his men was encamped ; and obtain- 
ing permission from him to carry off Don Gomez, we 
set out to look for Pedro. I was mounted, and I had 
likewise obtained horses for my companions. Beyond 
the river I have spoken of there was a succession of 
lofty hills, among which was situated the village now 
inhabited by the wives of the chiefs and other women. 


CAPTURE OF TUPAC AMARU. 


301 


We were obliged to ride along the banks of the river 
some way, till we found a ford, which we crossed. A s 
we ascended the first eminence, and looked back upon 
the scene we had left, it presented a very beautiful 
appearance. The long lines of warriors, their shining 
arms, the innumerable banners, and the variety of cos- 
tumes, from the half-naked savages of the interior, with 
their skin mantles and feather crowns, to the well- 
clothed inhabitants of the mountains and western plains, 
and the rich dresses of the chiefs embroidered with 
gold and . ornamented with precious stones. Then the 
extraordinary mixture of weapons — ^the artillery and 
muskets of modern warfare, with the bows, the slings, 
the clubs, and darts of ancient times. Each man had 
come provided with such arms as he could procure; 
and for years before every Indian who could obtain a 
musket had carefully concealed it for the moment when 
he hoped to use it for the liberation of his country. 

Tupac Amaru had acted the part of a good general, 
by providing an ample commissariat, and several mills 
for the manufacture of gunpowder. Had he at once 
followed up the successes with which the outbreak com- 
menced, instead of wasting his time in preparing the 
pageants of mock royalty, I see no reason to doubt 
that he might really have re-established the dynasty of 
the Incas in Peru. If we look at the way in which the 
Circassians, a mere handful of men, have for so many 
years defended against the arms of the Russians, a 
country more difficult to protect, we cannot but be- 
lieve that the Peruvians might have successfully held 
the passes of the Andes against any force Spain could 
have sent against them. In the case of the Circassians, 
however, it is the superior race, few in number, and 


302 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


unaccustomed to what is called civilisation, but defend- 
ing their mountams against the inferior, though armed 
and disciplined by service; whereas the Peruvians were 
decidedly far lower in the scale of human beings than 
the Spaniards, and for long ages had been unacquainted 
with war, and had yielded submission to those against 
whom they had now risen. There were many noble 
spirits among them ; but others had the faults which 
years of slavery will ever leave behind, and treachery 
and deceipt were among them. Such reflections as 
these passed through my mind as I watched the em- 
battled host. 

Just as we gained the brow of the hill, the loud roar 
of cannon sounded in our ears, and turning our horses* 
heads, we saw a large body of Spanish cavalry galloping 
towards the Peruvian army. The artillery of the latter 
had opened on them at too great a distance to harm 
them. They halted for a time to allow the infantry to 
advance with several light field pieces, which at once 
commenced a very effectual fire on the crowded ranks 
of the Indians. Several large bodies of the Peruvians 
rushed gallantly on to meet them ; when the Spanish 
cavalry charged in among their somewhat disordered 
ranks, and drove them back with great loss. Quizquiz 
finding, it appeared, that his guns did little execution 
from whence he was posted, dragged them on more in 
advance. Ned watched him anxiously. 

‘There,’ he exclaimed, ‘I thought it would be so. 
Does the lubber think the Dons will let him stay there 
quietly to fire at them ? ’ 

Quizquiz, however, seemed to think differently, and 
began firing away with’ great animation, his shot tell- 
ing with some effect on the Spanish ranks. No sooner 


CAPTURE OF TUPAC AMARU. 


303 


was this perceived, than a strong body was despatched 
to attack him. Some Peruvian troops were also march- 
ing to his support ; but his danger had not been seen 
in time, and the Spaniards charging them with great 
spirit, the general took to flight, and left his guns in 
the possession of the enemy. I had before suspected 
him of intending treachery, and I was now certain of 
it. He, with a number of his men on horseback, rode 
off, and did not stop till he had crossed the river 
below us. 

The action now became general. The whole Indian 
line advanced, led on by Tupac Amaru and his bravest 
chiefs. Both sides fought with the greatest bravery ; 
but the Spanish infantry, trusting in the superiority of 
their fire-arms, kept at a distance from the Indians, 
the cavalry only charging every -now and then as the 
broken ranks of their opponents offered them an oppor- 
tunity of success. So vastly superior, however, were 
the Indians in numbers, that the wings being moved 
forward were on the point of completely encircling the 
Spaniards, when the whole force of the latter, advanc- 
ing at a quick march, made a desperate attack on the 
Peruvian centre, the cavalry meantime charging the 
wings. The Indians, already shaken, could not with- 
stand the shock. The chiefs urged them on. Many 
fought with the most desperate bravery. It had now 
become a hand-to-hand combat, the Spaniards like a 
wedge forcing their way onward. The great aim seemed 
to be to seize the Inca. Several of his chiefs perceiving 
this, seized his horse’s bridle, and endeavoured to drag 
him out of the fight. His followers, believing that it 
was the signal of defeat, gave way, and fled in ali 
directions. The chiefs in vain attempted to stop them. 


304 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

Some fled across the plain, others climbed up the- 
neighbouring heights, and many attempted to cross 
the river. 

Among the latter was the Inca, with the chiefs who 
had surrounded him for his protection. The Spanish 
cavalry followed close upon their heels. The Inca 
plunged in with his horse, which boldly stemmed the 
torrent; while his gallant followers turned and, bravely 
attempted to oppose the passage of the Spaniards, till 
he had crossed safely over. The latter, flushed with 
victory, charged them fiercely, and cutting at them 
with their swords, scarcely a man remained alive. The 
Inca, with his son and brother, and other relatives, 
had reached the opposite bank, and was galloping 
towards the mountains, where he might have found a 
safe retreat ; when the traitor Quizquiz, who, with his 
followers, had been lying in ambush, rushed out and 
surrounded him. So completely taken by surprise was 
he, that neither he nor any of his companions attempted 
to defend themselves. Of those who did, one man only 
escaped from among them, and we saw them gallop- 
ing with desperate speed towards us. Meantime tho 
Spanish cavalry had crossed the stream, and the traitor 
advancing to meet them, in a few minutes the unfor- 
tunate Inca was in their power. 

We had been so intently watching these events, that 
we had not observed what was taking place in another 
direction. When the chief who had made his escape 
was perceived by the Spaniards, several horsemen were 
sent in pursuit of him. He urged on his horse with 
desperate speed over the rocky and broken ground, at 
the foot of the sierra on which we stood, the soldiers 
every now and then dischai-ging their pieces at him. 


CAPTURE OP TUPAC AMARU. 


805 


My interest increased as he approached, for I fancied 
that I recognised my friend Manco. His pursuers got 
nearer to him, and fired more frequently. I dreaded 
lest their shot should take effect. They were close 
upon his heels; for his horse, wearied with his long 
journey and constant exertion during the day, could 
scarcely bear him on. Just at that moment a shout 
reached my ears, and looking up in the direction 
whence it came, I saw Pedro running along the ridge 
of the hill towards us. I waved to him as a signal 
that I had recognised him, and then once more turned 
to watch Manco’s progress. Tired as was his steed, it 
was more accustomed to the rough ground than were 
those of the Spaniards, with their heavy arms and ac- 
coutrements. The noble animal exerted all its energies, 
well aware, it seemed, that a life depended on its speed. 


306 


MA2\XO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER XYIIL 

PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER — MURDER OF THE INCA. 

I HAVE said that Don Gomez was at my side. As he 
saw the Spaniards drawing near, he turned to me. 
‘Seiior David,* he said, ‘these are my countrymen. 
The Indians have lost the day.* 

‘ You would wish to join them. Is it so? * I asked 
‘ I would. Have I your permission ? * he said. 

‘ You were committed to my charge by yonder chief, 
who, I trust, will be with us soon. If he gives you 
your liberty, your word will not be broken, though I 
shall be sorry to part from you,’ I replied. 

‘ But the Indians are defeated,* urged Don Gomez. 
‘ Am I to remain a prisoner for ever ?* 

‘ Till he who received your word restores it to you, 
I again answered; and while I was speaking, Pedro 
reached us. For a moment he was too breathless 
to speak ; and during this interval I observed that 
Manco had so far got a-head of his pursuers, that their 
shot began to fall short. They halted ; for just then 
they perceived us on the hills, probably supposing us 
enemies ; and at the same moment a party of Indians, 
who lay concealed in some brushwood below us, sprang 
upon them. Had the Indians waited till the soldiers 
had advancdd a little further, every man of the latter 
might have been killed or captured. As it was, they 
had time to turn theii* horses, and gallop off the way 


PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER. 307 

they had come, followed by a shower of arrows, which 
killed one and wounded another of them. 

Manco, without stopping, made his horse breast the 
hill. He had got up some way, when we saw the 
noble animal stagger and fall, and both horse and 
rider lay motionless on the ground. Ned and I gal- 
loped down the hill towards him ; for Don Gomez had, 
in the moment before, thrown himself from his horse, 
and was standing grasping Pedro’s hand, and looking 
earnestly in his face. We reached Manco. We found 
that his horse was dead, and that he had received a 
severe wound in his side. While we were stooping 
over him, the Indians came up, and, not knowing who 
we were, were on the point of knocking us on the head 
with their clubs, when he recovered his senses, and 
exclaimed that we were friends. We were once more 
aroused to action by Pedro’s voice ; and lifting Manco 
on my horse, which was fresh and strong, I rode up 
the hill, accompanied by Ned, and followed by the 
Indians. 

‘Fly, fly ! ’ exclaimed Pedro. ‘ I came to warn you 
of the danger you are in. Look there, look there ! ’ 

We looked in the direction he pointed; and I now 
perceived that while we had been watching the flight 
and capture of the Inca, and Manco’s subsequent 
escape, which had occupied a considerable time, a 
strong body of troops had crossed the ford higher up 
the river, and were advancing rapidly along the path 
which led to the village where the wives of the chiefs 
had been left. In a few hurried words, Pedro told me 
that on hearing the firing, he had come out to see 
what was taking place, and that, like ourselves, he had 
been watching the battle from another height. To my 


808 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

deep regret, I found that, from the character of the 
ground, the troops were already much nearer the vil- 
lage than we were, and' already occupied the only 
approach to it, so that the Indian women must inevi- 
tably fall into their power. I endeavoured to conceal 
this information from Manco; for, heart-broken and 
wounded as he was, I thought it would kill him out- 
right. Those only, however, for whom I felt a j)er- 
sonal interest, were Nita and her child ; and I would 
have run every risk to save them. We were at the 
time posted in a dip in the hill, and while Ked and I 
bound up Manco’s wound, I sent Pedro to a height 
above us, to report the movements of the troops. In 
a short time he gave notice that a party of them had 
been detached from the main body, and were advanc- 
ing in our direction. I concluded that as we climbed 
the hill, followed by the Indians, we had been per- 
ceived, and that, unless we were prepared to run the 
risk of falling into the hands of the Spaniards, we must 
make our escape. Manco was sufficiently recovered to 
sit on horseback, and I proposed giving him my horse 
and following on foot. As we were about to move off, 
I recollected Don Gomez’s request. 

‘He is at liberty to go,’ answered Manco. ‘Per- 
haps he may recollect how he has been treated, and 
intercede for some of the unfortunate Indians who have 
fallen into the hands of his countrymen.’ 

To my surprise, Don Gomez refused the offer. 

‘ I will remain some time longer with you, unless that 
youth (pointing to Pedro) may accompany me. I 
would ask him some further questions ; for his coun- 
tenance has strangely agitated my mind.’ 

I had no opportunity of inquiring what he meant, 


PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER. 


309 


when Pedro exclaimed that he saw an Indian woman, 
with a child in her arms, on the ridge of the hill, at 
some distance ; and that the party of soldiers he had 
seen detached from the main body, were evidently in 
pursuit of her. 

' Manco hearing these words, seemed to surmise what 
had occurred, and, in spite of his wound, throwing 
himself on my horse and calling on the Indians to 
follow, he galloped along the rocky height. The eye 
of love at once recognised the person of the fugitive. 
It was his own Nita. We all hurried after him, and 
even Don Gomez seemed anxious for his success. Ned, 
who was the only other person on horseback, and who, 
though he rode like a seaman, always managed to 
make his steed cross places few people would have 
ventured over, was soon by his side, and together the 
two galloped on towards the Indian woman. 

‘ Hurra,’ shouted Ned, ‘ Hurra ! Mr. Indian, hurra ! 
We’ll manage to diddle the Dons.’ 

The Spanish soldiers had begun firing ; but as they 
had at the same time to climb the hill, and were at a 
considerable distance, their aim 'was not good. Their 
bullets, notwithstanding, as we got nearer, came whiz- 
zing by our heads; but still we pushed on. They 
were evidently, however, gaining on the poor girl ; and 
should she fall, or her strength fail her, they would 
/ be up to her before her husband could arrive to her - 
rescue. I have often had to undergo moments of 
great excitement, but never have I felt such intense 
anxiety as I did for Nita’s rescue. On galloped Manco 
and Ned. The soldiers saw them coming, and fired a 
volley. I saw Manco reel for an instant, but still he 
sat his horse. In another minute Ned had lifted Nita 


310 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


on liis horse, and placed her before him, and handing 
the child to Manco, the two returned at the same rapid 
rate towards us. The Spaniards, disappointed of their 
prey, halted, and fired again ; and then seeing only a 
small body of Indians, continued their advance. As 
we had nothing to gain by fighting, I called out to 
Manco, as he came up, to order the Indians to retreat. 
We managed to do so in very good order, and at so 
rapid a rate that we soon distanced the Spaniards. 
They were, however, continuing the pursuit, when the 
sound of a bugle from the main body called them back. 
Halting as they heard it, they fired a parting volley 
after us. It was well aimed; several of the Indians 
were struck, as was also the unfortunate Don Gomez. 
I ran to his assistance ; but he still sat his horse. 

‘ It is nothing,’ he said ; ‘ a mere flesh wound, which 
I shall soon recover from.’ 

I beckoned Pedro, who went up to him and walked 
by his side. I was afraid lest a sudden faintness should 
make him fall from his horse. 

‘What do you propose doing?’ I asked of Manco 
as soon as, having got beyond range of the Spaniards’ 
muskets, we came to a halt. 

‘ Proscribed and hunted, we must henceforth, like 
beasts of prey, seek for safety in the caves and recesses 
of the mountains,’ he answered gloomily. 

‘ You say well ; we must settle what is to be done. 
There is a cavern high up the mountains some way 
from this, where some hundred men may take shelter. 
Few know of it, and if any traitors were to lead the 
Spaniards to it, they would find it cost them dear to 
attack us there. I will show the way. On, on, my 
friends, on ! ’ 


PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER. 


311 


I saw that the chief was in no mood for conversa- 
tion. That day all his brightest hopes had faded away 
for ever. The liberty of Peru was lost; his friends 
had been slaughtered round him ; and his Inca was a 
prisoner in the hands of his bitterest foes. We pushed 
on as fast as the rugged nature of the country would 
allow us to move ; crossing valleys and streams, and 
chmbing mountains, till we arrived at the foot of a 
lofty and perfectly perpendicular precipice, along the 
foot of which we moved for some distance. As I 
looked up, I saw that stones hurled from the sum- 
mit would completely have annihilated us. Almost at 
right angles from the cliff arose another hill, up which 
we now began to climb. On reaching the summit, we 
turned once more in the direction of the cliffs, which we 
found were connected with the hill by a natural bridge 
of rock thrown across a dark and frightful gorge. 
Ordering the horses to be turned adrift on the hill, 
^Rlanco, with his child in his arms, led the way across 
the bridge, and along a narrow ledge, which now ap- 
peared as if cut by natural labour in the side of the 
cliff. I kept close to him to assist him if requhed ; 
Ned followed, supporting Nita; Pedro, leading Don 
Gomez, went next ; and the Indians in single file after 
us. A couple of hundred yards along a ledge, where 
a single false step would have proved certain death, 
brought ns to a hollow in the face of the rock, entering 
which, we found ourselves in a cavern of very extensive 
dimensions. 

The ground was perfectly level, and the roof dry ; 
and from the appearance I judged that art had been 
employed to render it habitable. Near the mouth were 
several pieces of wood which served for torches ; and 


312 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

fire being produced by some of the Indians, the cavern 
was soon sufficiently fit up to show us its extent. On 
one side, a fountain of pure water spouted from the 
rock ; on the other, a quantity of wood was piled up ; 
and in some oven-shaped buildings, I found was stored 
a quantity of corn. 

It is impossible to conceive a place more impregnable 
by nature. The summit of the cliffs, I afterwards found, 
was perfectly inaccessible ; while below they extended 
in a perpendicular wall to a depth of four hundred feet 
at least. In front the valley widened out to a con- 
siderable extent, the opposite chff being also almost 
inaccessible, so that the only possible approach was by 
the narrow ledge along which we had come. Indeed it 
seemed capable of holding out against any besiegers, as 
long as the provisions within might last. 

As soon as we entered, Ned placed Nita on the 
ground, and Manco, faint with loss of blood, as well 
as with fatigue and agitation, sunk down by her side. 
Taking the infant from him, she handed it to Ned, 
whose honest countenance had won her confidence. 
She then placed her husband’s head in her lap, and 
bent over him’ in silence, expressing her grief neither in 
tears nor cries. 

‘ Come, don’t be cast down. Missus,’ said Ned, his 
kind heart moved by her sorrow. ‘ Better times may 
come, and your good man isn’t going to slip his cable, 
I hope. I say, mate, she don’t understand my lingo,’ 
he continued, turning to me ; ‘ just you tell her what I 
say. It’ll cheer her up a bit.’ 

I saw that words could bring no comfort to the 
poor creature, but that our attention might be more 
effectually employed in binding up Manco’s wounds. 


PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER. 313 

Telling Ned this, we set to work in as scientific a way 
as we were able. Some of tbe Indians brought us 
water, and Nita, when she saw what we were about, 
aroused herself to help us. We had scarcely finished 
the operation, when a cry from Pedro called us to the 
assistance of Don Gomez, who had likewise fainted 
from the pain of his wound and loss of blood. My 
attention had, indeed, been so completely occupied 
with my Indian friend, that I had forgotten that the 
Spaniard had been hurt. Pedro was kneeling by his 
side, and supporting him with a look of interest and 
anxiety, which I at first was at a loss to understand. 

‘ 0 come, my friend, come and help him, or he will 
die ! ’ he exclaimed. 

Ned, Tirho had seen many a gun-shot wound, and 
had often assisted the surgeons to doctor his shipmates, 
examined the Spaniard’s hurts. 

‘ It’s a bad job, mate. I’m afraid,’ he observed, 
pointing to his side. ‘ The ball is in him somewhere, 
for there’s the place it entered, and I can find no hole 
where it could have got out again. I’ve been feel- 
ing for it all round his back, but there’s no sign of 
it. How he came on so far as this without drop- 
ping, I don’t know. It was his spirit kept him up, I 
suppose. 

Finding that we could do nothing else to relieve the 
unfortunate Don Gomez, we washed and bound up his 
wound, and then laid him on a bed of some straw and 
skins, which we found in the cavern. The same care 
had been taken of Manco. The Indians, meantime, 
had lighted a fire in the mouth of the cavern, and were 
seated round it in moody silence, brooding over their 
defeat and the death of many of their comrades and 


314 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

friends. We found some brandy among the stores, 
and after Don Gomez had swallowed a little of it, 
which we gave him with some water, he revived, and 
beckoned Pedro to him. 

‘ You were telling me, as we came along, a strange 
tale of your life, young man/ he said, in a feeble voice. 

‘ It served to sustain me, when otherwise I should have 
sunk with pain. Can I believe you V 

‘ Indeed, Seiior, I have only told the truth,’ replied 
Pedro. ‘ I was found by the Indians, when an infant, 
alone in a wood. My complexion shows that I am 
Spanish ; and see, the crucifix and chain which were 
around my neck when I was discovered, I have ever 
since worn.’ 

‘Merciful Providence, what do I behold?’ exclaimed 
the wounded man, starting up and gazing eagerly at 
the ornament Pedro exhibited. ‘ It is — ^it is ! Come 
to my arms, my son, my son ! I have found you, alas ! 
but to quit you too soon again.’ 

Pedro had thrown himself upon his father’s neck, for 
such there could be no doubt Don Gomez was. 

‘ Oh, do not say so, my father, whom I have so long 
sought. Do not say that you must quit me ! ’ he cried, 
in an agony of tears. 

‘ Alas ! it is the climax of my destiny,’ answered the 
Spaniard. ‘ I have longed to discover you, and now 
that my wishes are fulfilled, death claims me as his own. 
Such has been my fate through life. I cannot even 
leave you the wealth I have amassed, for of that also I 
have been deprived.’ 

‘ 0 do not think of that ! ’ exclaimed Pedro. ‘ It is 
sufficient for me to know that you are my father ; and 
do but recover and I will learn to work for you and 


PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER. 


315 


support you. Say that you will not die, and I shall be 
happy.’ 

I need not further describe the scene. Pedro sat by 
his father’s side, and deep and earnest was their con- 
versation. Ned and I left them alone and joined the 
Indians at their fire, for we saw that we could render 
no further assistance to our patients. The Indians had 
brought food with them, and as there was a supply of 
maize and dried meat and cocoa in the cavern, we had 
no reason to complain of hunger. 

Manco had given orders that one of the Indians 
should at all times be stationed at the bridge I spoke 
of, leading to the ledge, to give notice of danger ; and 
they regularly relieved each other at the post, though 
few would have ventured to cross that rocky ledge 
even in broad daylight, much less at night, uncertain 
what reception they might meet with at its termination. 
The night passed slowly, though I managed at inter- 
vals, as did Ned, to obtain some sleep. I after a time 
got up and stood at the mouth of the cave, looking up 
at the dark sky studded with thousands of stars, and 
then glancing down into the obscure depths below my 
feet. The air was perfectly still, and I fancied that I 
could hear the roar of cannon and the rattle of mus- 
ketry echoing among the mountains. 

At length I perceived a ruddy glare extending over 
the sky. I thought at first that it must be a sign of 
tlie rising sun, but, as I watched, it grew brighter and 
brighter, but did not increase in extent, and then by 
degrees it faded away before the genial glow of the 
coming day appeared. I guessed, too truly, that it 
arose from the burning of the village, which the 
Spaniards had attacked. I did not, however, inform 


316 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

ray companions, for I felt that I should only add to 
their grief by so doing. The Indians continued sleep- 
ing till a late hour. They seemed to have the power of 
thus steeping then* misery in oblivion. A night’s rest 
had somewhat restored Manco, but he was evidently 
fretting at the thought of the inactivity to which his- 
wound would consign him. ‘ But what would you do 
if you were able to move about,’ I asked. ‘ The Inca 
is a prisoner, and will, I fear, suffer death, for you 
cannot hope to rescue him.* 

‘ The Inca never dies,’ he answered, lifting himself 
up on his arm, and looking me earnestly in the face. 
‘ The young Andres is still in arms in the south, and 
may yet be victorious. Should the Spaniards add a 
deeper dye to the crimes they have committed, by the 
destruction of the Inca, he will succeed ; and should he 
too be cut off, I and that infant sleeping by my side 
must succeed to the title. Little did the Spanish 
soldiers dream whom they were yesterday pursuing, 
when Nita fled from them with our babe in her arms.’ 

Hope still I saw supported my friend, and I would 
not deprive him of it, little as I entertained it myself. 
Don Gomez had not improved. ■ He was feverish and 
weak, and I fancied that I saw death on his counte- 
nance; but he was happy at having his son by his 
side, and I was unwilling to warn Pedro of his 
danger. Several days passed away without the ap- 
pearance of an enemy in the neighbourhood ; and at 
length the Indians began to grow uneasy at confinement. 
We also were anxious to obtain information as to the 
state of affairs. It was just possible that, as Manco 
hoped, the Spaniards might have been driven backj 
and that we were shutting ourselves up for no object. 


PEDRO FINDS HIS FATHER. 


317 


The difficulty was to decide who was the most proper 
person to go in search of information. . An Indian 
would, to a certainty, have been kept prisoner and 
publicly executed ; Pedro could not leave his father ; 
and when I proposed going, Ned declared that I 
should be either recognised as having escaped from 
prison, or treated as a spy. 

‘ For my part I don’t mind going myself,’ he observed. 
‘ I’ve no fancy for being cooped up here any longer ; 
and if I’m asked any questions, all I shall say is, that 
I’ve got away from the Injuns, and want to get back 
to my own country.’ 

Very unwillingly I at last yielded to all the argu- 
ments he used to let him go instead of me. I was also 
afraid that it might have been suspected that he had 
assisted us to escape from prison; but he overruled 
that objection by saying that it was a very long time 
ago, and that it was not likely any of those who had 
seen him should be at Cuzco, or remember the circum- 
stance. To prevent the risk of his falling into the 
hands of any Indians, Manco ordered one of those with 
us to accompany him to the neighbourhood of the 
capital, where he was to lie hid till his return, and 
then to bring him back safe. It was with a heavy 
heart that I saw Ned set out. Still I was very anxious 
to commence our journey eastward, and without know- 
ing the state of affairs, I could not quit my friend Manco, 
nor could we venture to move Don Gomez into the 
city. I watched Ned as he passed under the cliff, and 
saw him wave his hat as a sign that he, at ail events, 
feared none of the dangers of his expedition. 

Meantime the Indians ventured out a short distance 
across the mountains to hunt for game. Several of 


318 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

them were always stationed on the surrounding pinnacles 
of rocks, whence they could watch for the approach of 
danger. Now and then they killed with their arrows a 
tarush, an active and timid little roe which frequents 
the higher forests which skirt the Andes. At night 
they used to set snares made of horse hair, at the 
mouths of holes inhabited by little animals like rabbits. 
These were called viscachas and chinchillas. The skin 
of the latter supplies the beautiful fur so much prized 
in Europe. Their colour and form resembles the rabbit, 
but they have shorter ears and long, rough tails. As, 
however, we had an abundant supply of charqui, which 
is the name given to dried beef in the Andes, we were 
not dependent on the success of our huntsmen for food. 
Pedro employed all his time in reading to and con- 
versing with his father ; and I observed that a very 
satisfactory change had taken place with regard to his 
state of mind. He had now learned to bow to the 
decrees of Providence without repining, and to acknow- 
ledge that whatever the great Ruler of the universe 
orders, is for the good of His creatures. The event I 
had foreseen was fast approaching. Every day Don 
Gomez had grown weaker and weaker, and he could 
no longer raise himself on his bed of straw. One 
evening he called Manco and me to his side after he 
liad made Pedi-o aware that his speedy death was in- 
evitable. ‘You have both been friends of my son,’ he 
said. ‘ Most deeply do I thank you, though I have no 
means of showing my gratitude ; indeed, I must call 
on you still further to befriend him. I found him poor, 
and may leavo him so, unless the power of Spain is 
re-established in Peru. In either case, you can serve 
him. In the one, still support and protect him ; and in 


PEDRO FrNT)S HIS FATHER. 


319 


the other, witness that I have acknowledged him as my 
son, and enable him to regain the property which was 
mine. There is a certain Father Manuel in Cuzco, 
who knows my signature, and is cognizant of all the 
particulars of my history. Let him see the papers 
I have left, should he have escaped the death which 
has overtaken so many of my countrymen, and he will 
assist him to the utmost of his means in his object. 
May Heaven help him to obtain what by right is his ! ’ 

We promised the dying man to obey his wishes to 
the best of our ability, though, as we could not venture 
to present ourselves in any city of Peru as witnesses, 
I had very little expectation that Pedro would ever re- 
cover his property. That night Don Gomez breathed 
his last. I will not speak of the bitter anguish poor 
Pedro suffered, at the death of a parent so lately found 
and so soon lost. The Indians made a grave in a green 
mound on the neighbouring mountain; and there we 
buried the unfortunate man. 

Several days more passed away ; and at last one of 
our scouts came hurrying in, to give notice that he had 
seen some persons approaching along the valley, in the 
far distance. On the edge of the ledge, and at the 
mouth of the cavern, stones had been piled up, to hurl 
down on the heads of any who might appear in the 
guise of enemies. I looked eagerly out, for I hoped 
they might prove to be Ned and his guide ; for I had 
begun to be very anxious for my friend’s safety. As 
the persons drew near, to my great satisfaction, I re- 
cognised Ned and his guide. They appeared footsore 
and weary, and came on very slowly. I went out to 
meet him at the bridge. 

‘ I can’t say a word, mate, till I’ve had some food 


320 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

and rest,’ lie answered. ‘ And this poor fellow here, 
he’s worse off than I am.’ 

After Ned and the Indian had eaten, they lay down 
to sleep, and it was four hours before the former awoke 
and gave me an account of his adventures, which I 
translated to Manco and Pedro. 

.‘Well, mates,’ he began, ‘ I’m glad to get back with 
a whole skin on my body ; and never may I have to 
see again the sights I’ve witnessed since I’ve left this 
place. The sooner, for my part, we get out of the 
country, the better. It was all very well when we had 
to climb up and down the mountains ; I didn’t mind 
that; but as soon as we got down into the plains, 
we couldn’t go a hundred yards without meeting with 
the dead bodies of our fellow-creatures — Red-skin or 
White-skin, it’s all the same to me. I can’t bear to 
see men, women, and young children murdered like 
sheep and lambs. The Spaniards had cleared out and 
burnt every Indian village on the road. We had to 
pass near the place where the battle was fought, 
and there were thousands and thousands of bodies of 
Indians. The birds and beasts of prey could scarcely 
consume them. At last we got near the city, and my 
Red-skin mate there stowed himself away under a rock 
in a thick wood ; and taking the bearings of the place, 
I went on by myself. I met no one till I got to the 
walls, for the Dons still kept inside, afraid of the 
Injuns, though they’d killed so many of them. When 
the guards at the gates asked me what I wanted, I 
said I’d come from the mountains, where I’d been 
hiding away during the row, and that I was looking 
out for a night’s rest in a civilised place, before I set 
out back to my own country ; which was true enough, 


MURDER OF THE INCA. 


321 


you know. They then took me to the governor of the 
city, and he questioned me right and left ; but I stuck 
to my story. So when he found he could get nothing 
out of me, he let me go, telling me to come and see 
him in a couple of days or so. I found there were to 
be great doings the next day, and what do you think 
they were ? Why, these Christians were going to burn 
the Inca and his whole family, because they tried to 
get back their rights. It wasn’t a sight I wished to 
see, you may depend on it ; but I couldn’t help myself. 
Well, in the morning there was a large crowd in the 
great square ; and in the middle there was a quantity 
of stakes and wood piled up, and near them a high 
platform. Presently a number of Indian people were 
brought out of the prison — men, women, and children — 
and were marched up to the stakes, and bound to them 
with cords. Last of all came a man, whom I soon 
saw was the Inca, for he was dressed as he was on the 
day of the battle, and looked a real king, every inch of 
him. They made him stand up on the platform, and 
look down on what was going on below. 

‘ They first shot all the children, and then they set 
fire to the wood, and burnt the women, and then the 
men ; and, would you believe it, among them was the 
wife of the Inca, and his children, and his brothers, and 
nephews and nieces. He didn’t utter a cry or a groan, 
but kept looking on as if his eyes would start out of his 
head ; but they, poor creatures, shrieked out for mercy 
from men who hadn’t got any in their natures. 

‘ When the rest were dead, they put some faggots 
under the platform, and burnt the brave fellow where 
he stood. The people shouted and rejoiced as if they 
had done something to be proud of. I couldn’t stand 

X 


322 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

it any longer, so I hurried away from the place ; for I 
heard that all the Indian prisoners in the city were 
next to be shot, and that there were some hundreds 
of them. I got into talk with a number of people. 
From some I heard one thing, and from some another ; 
but what I made out was, that young Andres, the 
Inca’s son, with several other chiefs, were still in arms 
in the south; but that the Spaniards had sent for 
troops from all parts of America; and that, by fair 
means or foul, they were resolved to destroy every 
Indian, till the war was finished. When I found that 
I could learn nothing more, I waited till night, and 
climbed over the walls. I then ran on as fast as my 
legs could carry me, till I got back to the wood, where 
I found my guide. Thinking I might be pursued, as 
I have no doubt I was, we made a very roundabout 
course, and kept a bright look-out for enemies on 
every side. We managed to keep clear of them, how- 
ever, but were very hard up for food; and I’m not 
sorry, let me tell you, mate, to find myself safe back 
again here.’ 

Such was the substance of Ned’s account. Pre- 
pared, as in a great degree Manco had been, he was 
dreadfully affected by it, and for some time could 
come to no resolution what course to take. Had he 
been alone, he would at once have decided to join 
Andres, and endeavour still to make head against the 
Spaniards ; but Nita and his child were in the other 
scale. At last he announced his resolution of quitting 
that part of Peru, and taking refuge far beyond the 
borders of civilisation among some of the wild tribes 
of the interior, in regions where the foot of the white 
man had not yet penetrated. 


MURDER OF THE INCA. 


323 


‘ There I will remain,’ he said, ‘ till a more favour- 
able opportunity occurs for rescuing my country from 
the oppression of the stranger. Be assured that time will 
come. My boy may have grown to manhood, and my 
hair may have turned grey, or we may both have passed 
away ; but Spain cannot for ever keep her iron yoke on 
the necks of our people. In the meantime we shall 
have collected arms, and have learned the art of war 
from our conquerors ; and avoiding the errors which 
have now overcome us, we shall be able to cope with 
them successfully.’ 

He promised, moreover, to accompany us till we 
should be fairly embarked on the great^ river of the 
south. I then asked Pedro what he proposed doing. 

‘ I will go with you, my friend,’ he answered at once. 
‘I have no hopes of obtaining my father’s property, 
and I cannot quit you ; I will share your dangers, and 
accompany you to your native land,’ 

I rather doubted whether it would not be wiser for 
him to try and reach Cuzco, and put himself in com- 
munication with the Father Manuel, to whom his father 
had referred him ; but he adhered to his resolution of 
accompanying me. 

‘ I have no friends among my countrymen ; I care 
not for wealth ; and I long to obtain that knowledge 
which here I cannot hope to find. I wish also to see 
the world, and more than all, David, I would not be 
parted from you.’ 

So it was arranged ; and Manco having sent out the 
Indians as scouts in all directions to ascertain whether 
any Spaniards were in the neighbourhood, we made 
instant preparations for our departure. 


324 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

OUR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES. 

During our long stay in the cave, my mind often 
turned to the future, and I was sorely puzzled to know 
by what means, without funds of any sort, we should 
find our way to England. Xed, as a sailor, would 
have no difficulty; but Pedro and I, from our igno- 
rance of nautical affairs, would be totally unable to 
work our way. One day Manco asked me what I was 
thinking about. I told him. 

‘Let not that distress you, my friend,’ he answered. 
‘If gold could restore happiness to our country, I 
could fill this cavern with it. I will show you where 
you may supply yourself with all you can require ; you 
will spend it well, and therefore I do not hesitate to 
confide to you the secret of our hidden wealth.’ 

Two nights after this, as I was about to throw my- 
self on my bed of leaves to sleep, Manco came to me. 

‘ We will at once set forth to obtain the gold I pro- 
mised,’ he said. ‘Pedro and your countryman may 
accompany us to carry what we find. We Tnust re- 
turn before the morning, lest we encounter any of the 
Spanish forces, who are ravaging the country on every 
side.’ 

A few words served to let Pedro and Ned under- 
stand what was to be done, and providing themselves 
with two bags, they instantly declared themselves 


OUR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES. 325 

ready to proceed. Manco had provided torches, one 
of which we each of us bore ; but he told us not to 
light them till we should reach the spot to which he 
was about to conduct us. As we were setting out, 
he also distributed among us two spades and crowbars, 
and a pickaxe. He led the way along the ledge and 
across the bridge; we following in silence. He then 
descended the mountain, and proceeded down the valley 
for some distance, when he once more began to ascend. 
The ground was rugged and di^cult in the extreme, 
and path there was none, so that, had we desired it, we 
could not again have found our way. For two hours 
we toiled on, up and down hill, following close upon 
the heels of Manco, who seemed to know the road by 
instinct. At length we reached a valley, the hill on 
one side of which was covered completely with build- 
ings, one rising above the other, and some apparently 
hewn out of the solid rock. The moon, which' had 
lately risen, lighted up the scene, and increased its wild 
and mysterious appearance. Not a sound was heard, 
not a human being appeared from this city of the dead. 
Manco stopped and gazed up at the city. 

‘ Two centuries ago, thousands of human beings, full 
of life and activity, thronged those walls,’ he remarked. 
‘ All are gone, and of descendants they have left none. 
All, all have been victims to Spanish cruelty. Follow 
me.’ 

He moved on, and led us into several. Some had 
two and even three stories, and the floors of slabs of 
stone or slate still remained. We at last reached a 
house larger than the rest, with a number of windows. 
Manco stopped in the centre of the chief hall, and said, 
stamping his foot, ‘ Dig there.’ Lighting our torches. 


S26 MANCO, THE PEKUVIAN CHIEF. 

we stuck them in the ground, and set to work. After 
digging about two feet, we came to a mass which 
proved to be the body of a human being, swaddled up 
in bandages of cloth, and in good preservation. It was 
in a sitting posture, with the knees drawn up to the 
chin. Placing it on one side, we dug on. Clearing 
away another stratum of earth, we reached a collec- 
tion of household utensils, which at first I thought were 
of copper and clay ; but as Ned was examining them,, 
he exclaimed — 

‘ They are gold, every one of them ! ’ 

‘ Dig, dig,’ said Manco ; ‘ you have more to find.’ 

A third layer of earth was now removed, and we 
came upon a number of idols, all of gold or silver, and 
surrounding them a quantity of bars of pure gold. 
None of us had ever seen so much wealth in one mass. ' 

‘ There, take what you can carry, and cover up the 
rest,’ exclaimed Manco. ‘ Y ou call that wealth,’ he con- 
tinued, as if divining our thoughts ; ‘ yet of what use is 
it to mankind thus locked up from sight? Now hasten, 
or daylight will surprise us before we can reach the cave. 

Following his direction, we loaded ourselves with as 
much of the pure gold as we could carry ; and then 
replacing the body as we found it, we again covered 
up the grave. Then extinguishing our torches, we set 
out to return to our cavern, which we reached in safety. 

It was with very great satisfaction that I bade adieu 
to the cavern which had for so long a time been our 
home. We had three horses, on one of which Nita 
was mounted, and the other two were loaded with a 
supply of provisions ; each of the Indians, besides, 
carrying enough for his own wants, till a part of the 
country should be reached where more could be pro- 


OtJR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES. 327 

cured. Manco took every precaution for our safety 
which prudence could suggest. He sent the Indians 
on ahead as scouts to inspect the country before we ad- 
vanced, and to bring us timely notice of the approach of 
an enemy. At that time, it was difficult to know who 
were friends and who were not, for many of the Indians 
had gone over to the Spaniards, in the hopes of saving 
their lives and property ; and others, still worse, we had 
too good reason to know, were ready to act the part 
of traitors, and to deUver up their countrymen for the 
sake of the reward they expected to receive. 

We proceeded for some way along a series of 
wooded ridges, called by the Spaniards Ceja de la 
Montafia (the Mists of the Mountains), on account of 
the thick mists which, rising from the rivers in the 
valleys below, are attracted by the trees, and hang 
over them in dense clouds. In summer these mists 
are absorbed by the sun’s rays; but in winter they 
discharge themselves in endless torrents of rain. At 
night we took up our abode in some deserted hut; 
but never, if we could avoid it, did we rest in the 
abode of man, and whenever we did, Manco kept 
three or four of our allies watching at a distance 
outside ; and we always again started at early dawn. 
As we reached the extreme eastern edge of the Geja^ 
we looked down on an interminable extent of forest, 
composed of trees of a height with which few in other 
parts of the world can vie. These wooded plains are 
called Montanas, which is the name given to the whole 
of the country eastward of the Andes. 

As we advanced, our ears were saluted by the cries 
of numerous birds and animals. Sometimes I thought 
I heard the roaring of a bull at a distance, when I 


328 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

found it to proceed from the black ox-bird; and at 
others the grunting of a hog sounded close to us ; and 
a beautiful bird called the Tunqui^ like a cock with 
a tuft of red feathers, and an orange bill, started up 
and astonished us with the contrast between his gruff 
note and gay plumage. In the evenings, groups of 
the pheasant-like Hachahuallpa summoned their distant 
companions with the cry of Ven acd^ ven acd — Come 
here, come here ; and owls and bats flew out with noise- 
less wings to pounce on their unwary prey. Bears and 
ounces, pumas and tiger-cats crossed our path; and 
stags started from their thickets, where they had sought 
shelter from some of those above-named enemies. 
Monkeys chattered at us, and squirrels leaped among 
the trees ; rats and mice were found in the huts, and 
argutis in the maize fields; snakes crawled along the 
ground, and birds of prey circled high above our 
heads. But in truth it would be impossible to describe 
one-tenth of the beasts, the birds, and reptiles we 
encountered in our journey; though I shall mention 
those I had opportunities of examining. 

We approached one evening the farm of a cacique, 
who, with most of the men of his village, had marched 
to join the army of Tupac Amaru. The women only, 
and some of the old men and children, remained. It 
was on the extreme borders of the country inhabited 
by Christian Indians. Beyond all was totally un- 
known to the white men, and but seldom visited by 
the civihsed natives. 

Manco sent on a messenger to giv-e notice of our 
approach, and to crave the hospitality of the cacique 
and his family. He returned shortly, saying that the 
females only were at home, and that as yet they had 


OUR WOlSTDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES. 329 

received no account of the result of the expedition ; but 
that they bade the strangers welcome. 

‘ Alas ! ’ said Manco, ‘ we are, I fear, the bearers of 
evil tidings. Had the cacique escaped, he would have 
returned ere this.’ 

We proceeded on, and in a space cleared of trees, 
we found a collection of low buildings. The walls 
were constructed of reeds, the interstices being filled 
up with loam ; and the roofs were covered with palm 
leaves. On one side of the house was a coffee planta- 
tion, and on the other some fields of maize, with fruit- 
trees growing round them. At a little distance, on 
some marshy ground, was a field of sugar-canes ; and 
by the side of a brook a row of the useful banana. 
The poor woman came out to receive us as we ap- 
proached. Her first inquiries were for her husband. 
Manco had seen him and all his people cut to pieces. 
She did not faint or shriek out, but retired into an 
inner room, sat herself down on the ground, surrounded 
by her women, and groaned bitterly all the night long. 
We did not see her again ; but after a time one of her 
females came out and set food before us. Our Indian 
companions found shelter in some of the huts of the 
village ; and one belonging to the farm was given up 
to Ned, Pedro, and me. We had Indian-corn bread, 
and cakes made of the juice of the sugar-cane, called 
chancacas; potatoes, bananas, oranges, and pine-apples, 
and several varieties of dried meat ; with a liquor also 
made from the sugar-cane, called guarapo: indeed we 
had no cause to complain of any want of provisions. 
As we were safe here from all risk of pursuit, Manco 
proposed to remain for some days, that we might recruit 
‘Our strength before prosecuting our journey. 


330 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


The cacique had been accustomed to increase his^ 
wealth by buying from the wilder tribes the celebratecj 
Peruvian bark. In the month of May, a number of 
Indians set out together, some of whom, of greatest 
experience, who are called cateadores^ or searchers,, 
climb the highest trees to spy out the rmnchas^ or 
spots where the chinchona groups are growing, distin- 
guishing them merely by a slight difference in the tints 
from the dark-green of the surrounding foliage. When 
the cateador has discovered a group, he leads his com- 
panions to it with wonderful precision through the 
almost impenetrable forest ; a hut is built, the trees are 
felled, and incisions are made in the bark, and after a 
few days, as it dries, it is stripped off and placed in the 
huts to dry still more. It is then packed in bundles, 
and sent to market. 

A party of Indians came one day to the village, on 
their way across the Andes, from the more distant 
forests to the east, laden with balsams and odorife- 
rous gums, which they had collected from a variety of 
resinous plants. They were ignorant that the war had 
broken out, and when they heard of it, they were un- 
willing to venture further, and returned to their own 
country. The men who carried the loads had on 
merely a piece" of cloth round the waist ; but the 
women who accompanied them wore a loose tunic 
without sleeves. Their legs were bare, but painted 
with the juice of the huito, which made it appear that 
they had on half-boots. The object was to protect 
their legs from the stings of insects. I found that 
they professed Christianity. They were regular medi- 
cal pedlars; for they had powders, salves, plasters, 
seeds, and roots of every description; claws of the 


OUR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES. 831 

Upir, as a remedy against the falling-sickness; and 
the teeth of poisonous snakes, carefully stuck into 
rushes, as specifics against head-ache and blindness. 

Manco had purchased a sufficient number of horses 
to mount all our party, and to carry such provisions as 
we required ; though, from the abundance of game to 
be procured in the forests, we had no fear of being in 
want of fresh meat. Still, however, as there was no 
notice of the approach of the Spaniards, he thought it 
better to remain a few days longer, to recruit our 
strength, before we recommenced our journey. Three 
of the Indians only had remained with us, the rest 
having departed to their homes in the south. Pedro, 
Ned, and I employed our time in wandering about the 
neighbouring country, under the guidance of one of the 
Indians ; but we were charged' by Manco not to go 
far from the village. 

I can scarcely venture to describe the magnificence 
of the vegetation of that region. There were numerous 
ferns and nettles growing in the form of large shrubs ; 
wonderful bignonias and gigantic orchidae drawing their 
nourishment from the air ; with every variety of climb- 
ing plants, throwing their thousand tendrils round the 
trees which gave them support. I could not but admire 
the various forms of the stately palm, the thickly-leaved 
balsam-yielding leguminosae, the luxuriant laurels, and 
the solaneae, with their numberless flowers of vast size. 
Further on, again, on the flat lands towards the east, 
the mighty trees rise to an immense height from the 
humid soil, without a flowering plant or shrub below 
their branches, forming a canopy almost impervious to 
the light of day. 

One day we had gone farther than usual from home, 


332 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

when we reached a narrow lagune, overspread by the 
boughs of the gigantic trees which grew on either side 
of it. The air and earth were teeming with animal life. 
Birds of beautiful plumage, and every variety of note, 
were perched on the branches, or flying above our 
heads ; butterflies of many hues were flitting about in 
all directions ; and reptiles and insects innumerable 
were crawling along the ground. More beautiful than 
all were the humming-birds, which, like flashes of 
coloured light, appeared and disappeared as they flew 
by us; and surpassing his brethren in gorgeousness 
of hues, was the golden-tailed humming or fly bird, 
numbers of which haunted every glade we passed. 
From many of the shady branches hung nests built by 
the pouched starlings, four or five feet long, and swing- 
ing to and fro with every breath of wind. Flocks of 
green parrots were chattering on the higher boughs, 
and preparing to seek their night - quarters in the 
higher parts. Our guide called X]iQm. jornaleros (day- 
labourers), and told me that the name was given them 
because, on the return of every day, they come back 
at the same hour from the mountains, where they sleep, 
to gather their food in the lower forests. I had shot 
several birds, and was aiming at one, when he seized 
my arm, and implored me not to fire. 

‘Do you not hear its note, Seuor?’ he exclaimed. 
* If you were to kill that bird. Heaven would afflict you 
with some dreadful disaster. Listen : does it not sav, 

V / 

Dios te de (May God give it thee)?^ 

The bird, as he rested on a branch before me, threw 
back his head and rocked his body, and certainly 
uttered a note which might easily be thus translated. 

I had got close to the lagune, and was watching a 


OUR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES. 333 

oird which, with fluttering wings, was hovering in the 
air a short distance from me, when our guide forcibly 
drew me back, whispering, with a look of terror, ‘ Did 
you not see the Yacumaman? Would you venture 
within the mighty coils of the Mother of Waters?’ 

At first I did not know what he could mean, till, 
creeping back, I saw what I had at first taken for the 
root of a tree, but which I now perceived to be an 
enormous serpent. Its body was wound in several 
huge coils round the stem of a decayed tree, while it 
bathed its tail in the waters of the lagune. Its head 
was now thurst forward, as with glittering eyes it 
watched an opening in the forest. Presently a shght 
rustling was heard, and a beautiful stag came to quench 
its thirst after the heat of the day. It came up fear- 
lessly, and dipped its head to drink. Again it lifted it 
up, and looked around. On a sudden it caught sight 
of those beautiful eyes. Instantly its limbs began to 
tremble. It seemed to have no power to fly, but stood 
looking with mute wonder at the object which fascinated 
it. The monster uncoiled itself, and glided from the 
tree. Still the stag did not attempt to fly, yet in fleet- 
ness it could have outstripped the wind. There it 
stood, a willing victim. In another moment the serpent 
had sprung upon it, and encircled it in its monstrous folds. 
As we could not rescue the stag, and had no wish to 
interfere with the serpent, we hurried from the spot. We 
were already later than it was wise to remain from the 
village, but we could not help stopping to listen to the 
delicious notes of a cinnamon-brown bird, with head and 
neck of dark olive, which was perched on a bough over- 
hanging our path. Never from a feathered songster 
had I heard notes more sweet or harmonious. 


334 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


‘ It is the organista^ said our guide. ‘ Hurry on, 
Senores, hurry on, his note forebodes a coming storm ; 
and, from the glimpses I have caught of the sky be- 
tween the trees, I fear that we shall have one before 
we reach the village.’ 

We took the Indian’s advice, for a storm in that . 
wooded region was an event to be avoided, and walked 
as fast as we could over the soft ground towards home. 
We had not got far, when a cry from Pedro, who was 
a little in our rear, made us stop. As we hurried back 
to him, we saw that he was limping along as if in great 
pain, and trying to overtake us ; and at the same time 
I observed a snake winding its way along among the 
trees at a rapid rate from us. It was about two feet 
long, and covered with the most brilliant stripes of 
deep red, yellow, and black. The Indian caught sight 
of the reptile at the same time. 

‘Ah! mercy. Heaven, mercy!’ cried poor Pedro. 

‘ I have been bitten by that deadly snake, and in a few 
minutes must die. Farewell, my friends, farewell !’ 

‘ Courage, Senor, courage ! ’ exclaimed the Indian ; 

‘ I have some hauco cake with me. Eat, eat, and you 
may yet live.’ 

Saying this, he produced from his pocket some cake 
of the huaco leaves, a piece of which he put into Pedro’s 
mouth, and spreading some more on the wound, pressed 
it with all his force. A litter was soon formed, on 
which we placed him and carried him along, for the 
pain was too great to allow him to walk. After a time, 
however, he declared that the pain was gone, but that 
he felt as if his leg was made of lead. We hurried 
on, for we had no time to lose. Thunder was heard 
rolling through the sky; and distant flashes, seen 


OUR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ESCAPES. 335 


through the trees, showed that the storm was ap- 
proaching. Suddenly a tremendous crash was heard 
close to us ; and, looking back, a tall tree, one of the 
giants of the forest, appeared riven from the crown to 
its roots, and a vast branch lay across the path we had 
just passed. Nothing now was required to expedite 
our steps. The wind roared, the mighty trees rocked 
to and fro as if they had been reeds, the thunder 
Tattled in deafening peals, and the lightning, in zigzag 
form, rushed down the stems of the trees, running like 
serpents along the ground, and flashed vividly in every 
direction. The storm I had witnessed in the Cordil- 
leras was grander, but it was scarcely so terrific in its 
effects. We got under shelter in the cottage before the 
tempest had reached its height. Pedro was instantly 
placed in bed, when, after a time, a profuse perspira- 
tion came on. Some cooling drink was given to him, 
and a pumpkin poultice was applied to the wound. 

The huaco plant grows in the woods. The leaves are 
haK an inch long and half an inch broad, of a solid 
texture, the upper surface being of a dark green, with 
purple veins running through it. The stem is slender, 
hard, ribbed, and of a bluish colour; and the leaves 
grow singly, two being placed opposite to each other. 
It is said that the natives discovered its qualities by 
observing that a bird called the huaco, which feeds on 
snakes, whenever it was bitten flew off and ate some of 
this plant. I have heard that the harmless snakes are 
great enemies to the poisonous ones, and will attack 
those much larger than themselves. 

It took two or three days before Pedro had com- 
pletely recovered from the effects of the bite. 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


'6'6Q 


CHAPTER XX. 

SPANIARDS PURSUE US ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS. 

‘ IJp, up, my friends ! ’ exclaimed Manco, rushing into 
our hut one morning, just before daybreak. ‘The 
Spaniards are traversing the mountains with fire and . 
sword, and we must haste away from this.’ 

We all instantly sprung to our feet, and without ex- 
changing many words, packed up our goods. By the 
time we were ready, the horses were caught and saddled, 
and we were soon mounted and ready to proceed. Our 
party consisted of Xed, Pedro, and I ; Manco, Nita, and 
their child ; and three Indians, of a tribe with whom 
the latter were going to take up their residence. We 
had, besides, two other horses laden with clothing and 
provisions. Bidding adieu to our unhappy hostess 
and the villagers, our cavalcade was put in motion, and 
we plunged into the interminable forest. Without the 
assistance of our Indian guides, we could not possibly 
have found our way among the gigantic trees which 
shot up like tall masts from the level soil, often branch- 
less till near the summit, where their boughs inter- 
twined, and formed a canopy which the rays of the 
sun could scarcely penetrate. 

‘ On, on, my friends ! ’ cried Manco ; ‘ the enemy 
may be on us before we are aware of their approach. 
They have traitors with them, and will certainly des- 
patch a force to search us out.’ 


SPANIARDS PURSUE US. 


337 


This was sufficient to make us urge our horses to 
their utmost speed; and all day we rode on, halting 
only now and then for a very short time, to rest our 
animals or to take food. At night we encamped in 
the forest. For our shelter we cut a number of canes 
which grew near a stream, and with them formed some 
huts, which we thatched with palm leaves. We had 
supplied ourselves with grass hammocks and Indian 
mosquito curtains, and by hanging them up in our huts 
we obtained very comfortable quarters. We frequently 
had streams to pass, which feed the great arteries run- 
ning into the Amazon. They were in most instances 
too deep to be forded, so we had to wait till we could 
construct rafts to convey ourselves and our luggage, 
our horses swimming alongside. We took care to 
make a great noise to keep the caymans at a distance, 
lest any of them should think fit to grab at our animals’ 
legs. We had the satisfaction of feehng sure that, 
should we be pursued, our enemies would take much 
longer time to cross than we did. Still, however, we 
pushed on as fast as the nature of the ground would 
allow. We were now approaching the river TJcayali, 
at a spot not far from the banks of which Manco in- 
tended to make his abode. He might, of course, have 
found numberless places among the Andes, where the 
Spaniards could not have discovered him ; but so many 
of his brother chieftains had already been betrayed by 
their own countrymen, that he had resolved to remove 
himself far beyond the reach of treachery, among 
savages who, if they had not the virtues, were free from 
the vices of civilisation, and were too independent to 
be tempted by a bribe to dehver him into the hands of 
his enemies. 


T 


S38 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


Though in general the country was level, here and 
there mountains and rocky ledges crossed our path, the 
far- stretching spurs of the Andes. We found the 
country very thinly populated, though we occasionally 
fell in with small parties on their hunting expeditions. 
The first infidel Indians we met somewhat raised our 
curiosity. They were short in stature, and had swarthy 
complexions and long black hair, without any beard on 
their chins. They wore a long frock without sleeves, 
and when we first saw them we took them for women. 
They were armed with bows and arrows. They had 
never seen any white men before, and were at first 
very much frightened and inclined to run away ; but 
our Indians, who spoke their language, that of the 
Panos, assured them that we would not injure them, 
and they became very communicative. When they 
heard where we were going, they entreated us not to 
proceed, assuring us that we should encounter numbers 
of cannibal Cashibos, who would to a certainty kill and 
eat us. 

‘ Tell them that we fear not the Cashibos nor any 
other wild men,’ said Manco. ‘ If they molest us, we 
will treat them as the beasts of the forest, though we 
would willingly pass them peaceably.’ 

As we rode along after we had parted from our little 
friends, I asked Manco who were the dreaded Cashibos ; 
and he told me that they were the most savage and 
warlike of all the wild tribes in the Pampa del Sacra- 
mento, between the rivers U cay ali and Hualtaga. ‘ W e 
must be on our guard against them, for they are equally 
cunning as fierce, and I truly believe that they really 
do eat those they can take prisoners.’ 

Our own Indians were evidently very much afraid 


SPANIARDS PURSUE US. 


339 


of these Cashihos, and kept a much more watchful 
guard than heretofore, both as we rode along and after 
we encamped for the night. Several days after this we 
were approaching that part of the Ucayali, where we 
proposed to embark. I longed to reach it almost as 
much as did Ned. ‘ Ah, mate,’ he exclaimed, when I 
told him that we had little more than one day’s journey 
more on horseback to perform ; ‘ let us once get our 
craft built and afloat, and we may snap our fingers at 
the Cashibos, and any other enemies to boot.’ 

It was necessary, before embarking, to lay in a supply 
of provision, that we might not be impeded in our 
passage down the river ; and as our Indians observed 
signs of an abundance of game, we halted much earlier 
than usual to hunt. Ned remained with Pedro and 
Nita to build the huts and look after the horses ; while 
Manco and I, with our three Indians, set out for the 
chase. At some distance off, between us and the river, 
was a lofty, rocky hill, which served as our land-mark ; 
and by taking the bearings ot it with two other heights 
still farther off, I hoped to be able easily to find my 
way back to the camp. Manco and I had the rifles, 
the Indians their bows and arrows. While wandering 
among the trees, which were here more than usually 
interspersed with shrubs and creepers, I very soon got 
separated from my companions. This did not alarm 
me, as I was certain that I could without difficulty find 
my way back to the encampment. I soon fell in with 
a pathway, which I recognised as one formed by the 
peccary or wild hog, which traverses the forests in 
droves consisting of two or three hundred. I stopped 
and listened, for I thought I heard a grunting sound, 
which showed that some were not far off. I was not 


340 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


mistaken, for the noise increased in loudness, and I 
satisfied myself of the direction from which it was 
coming. Hiding behind a tree, I stood ready to fire, in 
the hopes of killing one of the leaders, and having 
time to load and take a second shot before the herd 
passed by. As soon as they appeared along the path, I 
singled out one and let fly ; but my aim was not steady, 
and I only wounded the beast. At the same time I 
had, I suppose, exposed myself to view ; for the whole 
herd, led by their wounded companion, came rushing 
towards me with furious grunts of rage, evidently with 
the intention of destroying me. To hope to escape by 
flight was out of the question, for they would soon 
have overtaken me. Fortunately I had observed a tree, 
with branches which I could reach ; and retreating to 
it, I had climbed up a few feet from the ground before 
the furious herd reached me. When they found them- 
selves disappointed of their prey, they dashed their 
snouts into the ground round the tree as if they would 
tear it up by the roots, and thus get at me. They 
worked so perseveringly, that at first I had some little 
apprehension that they would succeed, and I began to 
consider how, if the tree fell, I should manage to escape 
my assailants. On climbing higher, I saw that the 
boughs of the tree I was on interlaced with another, 
and that I might, by catching hold of the latter, save 
myself, should the peccaries succeed in their attempts. 
The peccaries grunted and dug away below, and I 
climbed up higher and higher. At last I reached a 
branch on which I could conveniently sit and load my 
gun. ‘Stop,’ I thought to myself; ‘before I take 
more trouble, I may as well shoot some of these gentle- 
men. They cannot carry off their dead, and when they 


SPANIARDS PURSUE US. 


341 


go away, as I suppose they will do some time or other, 
they will leave them behind for me.’ 

The execution followed the thought. I tumbled one 
of my enemies over, and his companions finding that he 
was dead, set off to escape from a similar fate. I had, 
however, time to load and fire again, and killed another 
hog. As the one I had at the first wounded was by 
this time dead, to my great satisfaction, the herd 
scampered off, leaving three of their number behind. 
I fired a fourth time, but missed, and then descended 
from the tree. How to get the peccaries to the camp 
was now my puzzle, for one of them was rather too 
heavy a load for me to carry, and I had no knife with 
me to cut them up. If I left them where they were, in 
all probability they would be eaten up by some beasts 
or birds of prey before I could return to them. To 
save them from the former, it occurred to me that I 
might hang them up on the branches of the tree which 
had enabled me to escape from becoming their food, 
instead of their becoming mine. 

There were a variety of creepers, out of which I 
could form ropes ; and selecting some of the toughest 
and most pliant, I secured them to the peccaries, which 
I dragged under the tree. Having, with no little satis- 
faction, hoisted up my spoils, I set out to return to the 
camp. On my way I stopped to look at a tree which 
seemed to bear a great variety of leaves. On examina- 
tion, I discovered it to be a mora, round the stem of 
which climbed a number of creepers. On the summit 
grew a fig-tree, fully as large as a common English 
apple-tree ; and from its branches again hung pendant 
a number of vines, both fig-tree and vines bearing 
a quantity of fruit; but the parent mora^ from the 


342 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


nndue exhaustion of its sap, was already giving signs of 
decay, and in a short time both fig-tree and vine, I 
saw, would inevitably follow its fate. A little farther 
on, a couple of sloths were making their progress 
through the woods. I watched them passing from one 
tree to the other, as the branches met, stirred by the 
breeze ; and having hitherto seen them hanging lazily 
by their claws to boughs, I was surprised at the ra- 
pidity of their movements. I have often heard people 
assert that the sloth spends his torpid existence in a 
perpetual state of pain, from the peculiar sighing noise 
he makes, and the slowness of his movements when 
placed on the ground. In the first place, I cannot 
believe that God has created any animal to pass an 
existence of pain. The fact is, that the sloth is formed 
to live in trees, to climb, and to feed on leaves, and not 
to walk on the ground. Though he cannot be called a 
frisky animal, he certainly does not deserve the name 
given to him, as, when he chooses, he can move, as I 
now had proof, at a great rate. Dogs bark, donkeys 
bray, and cocks crow, and the sloth sighs, when he 
wishes to speak ; while, from his long arms and short 
legs, with his sharp claws, he by nature is intended 
either to be climbing, or, if asleep, hanging, with his 
back perpendicular to the ground. I shot one of my 
friends, and hanging him over my shoulder, carried 
him towards the camp. Scarcely had I resumed my 
walk, when I saw a large grasshopper, as I thought, 
playing about a bush, and on the point of settling. 
As I was passing near it, I was about to put out my 
hand to catch it, to examine it more minutely, when, 
just in time, I sprang back ; for there I beheld, to my 
horror, the head and crest of an enormous rattlesnake. 


ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS. 


343 


In another instant I should have been his victim. I 
did not stop to see what way he went, but hurried on 
as fast as my legs would carry me. I listened, as I 
advanced, to the notes of the various birds which filled 
the forest, and sometimes to the cries of beasts ; and 
I fancied that I heard others answering them from a 
distance. 

By some means or other I missed the path I intended 
to follow, and found myself in a thick mass of trees. 
In trying to get out of it, I entirely lost the line I was 
pursuing ; and at length finding a tree I could climb, I 
mounted to the top of it, to look out for my land-mark. 
While I sat on a bough, concealed by the thick foliage, 
I found that I had a view of an open space at some 
little distance ofi", a mass of low trees only intervening. 
I was about to descend, when my eye caught sight of a 
figure moving through the glade. Presently another, 
and then another, followed. The stopped and listened 
attentively, as if they had heard something to interest 
them. They were tall men, dressed in long tunics, and 
had beards and lank black hair. Each man carried a 
club by his side, and a long spear in one hand, and a 
bow, with an arrow ready for use, in the other. As 
one of them turned his face, I saw that he was a Bed 
Indian ; and by the peculiar expression of his counte- 
nance, I felt certain that they must belong to the 
dreaded Cashibos. I trembled for the safety of Nita 
and my two friends, for I could not doubt that many 
others were in the neighbourhood ; and I could scarcely 
dare to hope that they could fail to discover our camp, 
or to fall in with Manco and the Indians. 

They were evidently intent on taking game, for they 
sounded the notes of several birds in succession, to try 


344 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

if any were in the neighbourhood. Two or three 
answered, and shortly making their appearance, fell, 
pierced by the Indians’ unerring arrows. Again they 
sounded their notes, which were answered from a 
distance, but no game appeared. 

I must own that I was far from comfortable all the 
time, and afraid to move or almost to breathe. Every 
moment I expected to see them turn their heads, and 
to be discovered by their sharp eyes ; and from the 
account I had heard of them, I could hope for nothing 
better than to be shot, and cooked forthwith for their 
suppers. After waiting, however, a short time, I saw 
them dart among the trees, and, to my great relief, in 
an opposite direction to the camp. Instantly I hurried 
down from my lofty perch, and made the best of my 
way towards the camp, keeping a bright look-out, lest 
any of their friends should catch me unawares. 

I ran in breathless haste, anxious to warn my friends 
in the camp. Twice, in my hurry, I missed my way, 
and found myself going in the very direction the 
Cashibos had taken. At length I saw a column of 
smoke curling up among the trees. I felt certain that 
it must proceed from the camp ; yet, as I got nearer, a 
horrid idea seized me, and I fancied that I must be 
mistaken, and that I might find instead, the cannibals 
seated round one of their dreadful banquets. Still I 
went on, advancing as cautiously as I could, and taking 
care to leave as little trace of my course behind me as 
possible. • After going on in this way for some time, 
my ear caught the sound of singing ; and looking 
between the bushes, I saw a fire burning with a spit 
before it, and on the spit there was roasting what I 
might have mistaken for a small baby, had not my 


ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS. 


845 


friend Ned been officiating as cook ; and I guessed 
that it was a monkey which had been prying too near 
the camp, and had been shot either by him or Pedro. 
The scene I looked on was one of perfect quiet and 
repose. The three huts were finished ; Nita was con- 
cluding some arrangements in the interior of hers, and 
her infant lay in a basket at the entrance. Ned, as I 
said, was acting as cook, and Pedro was attending to 
the horses which were picquetted around. I was very 
unwilling to be the bearer of bad news to my friends ; 
but there was no time to be lost, so I walked in among 
them. 

‘ Ned,’ I said, ‘ we must be on our guard, there are 
Indians in the neighbourhood; they are fellows who 
would eat us if they could.’ 

‘ They must catch us first,’ said Ned coolly. ‘ If they 
do, they’ll find some of us tough morsels, I calculate.’ 

On seeing me, Nita rushed out and inquired for her 
husband, being alarmed at my having returned alone. 
I somewhat tranquillized her by explaining that I had 
been separated from the rest ; but still she saw that all 
was not right. Though I was anxious to bring in the 
peccaries, Ned agreed with me that it would be impru- 
dent to leave the camp, for we could not escape being 
discovered before long by the Cashibos. After a time 
I told Nita quietly that I had seen some strange Indians, 
and that I thought it wise to be on our guard against 
them ; indeed, as we might possibly find a large party 
of them, and be obliged to retreat in a hurry, it would 
be better to pack up and be prepared for a start, as we 
were not in a spot where we could well defend our- 
selves if attacked. Nita agreed with me in the wisdom 
of this proceeding, and accordingly we packed up our 


346 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

goods, and saddled and loaded our horses. I loaded 
my rifle, and Ned his pistols and musket ; and Pedro 
and Nita got the bows and arrows and spears ready. 
I expressed a hope that all this preparation would not 
be required. 

‘So do I,* answered Ned; ‘but you see, mate, a 
good seaman always gets his ship snug at night if he 
thinks a storm is brewing, because he can’t see exactly 
the time when it may come. So I think we are right 
to get ready for the savages, who may pay us a visit 
when we least expect them ; and as just now, you see, 
if the rest don’t come back, and we’ve only got you 
and I, and the young Don and the woman and the 
child, who won’t be much help, the odds will be rather 
against us. Looking at these things, I think if we 
were to build up a bit of a fortification like, it would 
be some aid to us in case of need.’ 

Ned’s advice was too good to be neglected, and 
accordingly we set to work and cut down some young 
trees and branches ; and taking the huts as a centre, 
we threw up a sort of breast-work, sufficient to assist 
in protecting us while we knelt down to fire. 

We had by this time become very anxious at the 
prolonged absence of Manco and the Indians ; and I 
greatly feared that they might have been surprised by 
the Cashibos, and murdered. The sun was casting 
the tall shadows of the trees across the forest glades, 
and still they did not come. At length I determined 
to mount one of the horses and go in quest of them. 
Just, however, as I was putting my foot in the stirrup, 
a shot was heard close to us, and then another, and 
several arrows came glancing between the trees, but 
falling short of the camp. Directly afterwards one of 


ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS. 


347 


onr Indians burst through the brushwood, an arrow 
sticking in his side. With a look of terror, he pointed 
towards the point from which he had come, uttering 
the words ‘ Cashibos — Cashibos.’ Having broken off 
the head of the arrow, and drawn out the shaft, I told 
the poor fellow to run into the camp ; I sprung on my 
horse, and dashing forward with my rifle in my hand, 
I saw Manco and the two other Indians contending 
with a dozen or more Cashibos. Manco had shot two 
of them ; but the rest, undaunted by the unexpected 
effect of the new instrument of death he held in his 
hand, were on the point of rushing in upon him with 
their clubs. I saw there was not a moment to be lost, 
and forcing my way through the tangled mass of 
creepers and shrubs which lay between us, I reined up 
for an instant, and took a steady aim at the leading 
savage. He fell to the ground with a yell of rage, and 
I then, without stopping to load again, dashed on 
towards the next. 

‘Well done, mate, well done,’ I heard Ned shouting 
behind me. ‘ Knock the rascals on the head ; that’s the 
way to settle them.’ 

So astonished were the savages with the sudden 
apparition of me and my horse, that I had struck 
one fellow to the ground before he had time to defend 
himself. Ned took aim at a third, and wounded 
him; but the savages, rendered more furious, still 
came on with menacing gestures. Manco had dur- 
ing the interval reloaded his rifle, and singling out 
another savage, brought him to the ground. This 
made the rest once more halt, and seeing me loading, 
they were on the point of taking flight, when some 
loud cries resounded through the woods, and gave 


348 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

them notice of the approach of some more of their 
companions. 

‘ To the camp, to the camp, my friends !’ exclaimed 
Manco, when he was aware of this ; and obeying his 
order, we all retreated at once towards the huts. The 
Cashibos had received too strong a taste of our quality 
to follow at that instant, and allowed us to reach the 
camp unmolested. We instantly held a council of war, 
and at first Manco, when he saw the fortification we 
had thrown up, proposed waiting where we were to 
receive the attack of our enemies ; but he soon agreed 
with me and Ned, that it would be wiser to escape 
while we could, on horseback. We could not tell 
how many Cashibos there might be, and they would 
probably collect ultimately in such numbers as to 
overwhelm us, even should we at first succeed in 
beating them off. Our Indians, I found, were fully 
expecting to see their companion drop down dead, 
from the effects of the poison they supposed to have 
been on the arrow ; but either it had not been poisoned 
at all, or the poison had dried and peeled off, for the 
man did not seem to suffer more than from an ordi- 
nary wound. 

The advantage of our having made our preparations 
for moving beforehand was now apparent, and to it 
we probably owed our safety ; for, without the loss of a 
moment, as soon as our plan of proceeding was settled, 
we mounted and rode off at a rapid rate through the 
woods. The Cashibos caught sight of us, and saluted 
us with loud shouts and war-whoops, and a flight of 
arrows came whistling after us ; but we were already 
beyond their reach, and it only made us gallop the 
faster. 


ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS. 


349 


‘Sing away, old fellows!’ shouted Ned; ‘though 
you’ve lost your supper, we’ve saved ours,’ and he 
held out the monkey at the end of the spit which he 
had snatched from the fire as we were mounting, and 
brought along with him. 

Fortunately the country before us was tolerably free 
of trees, and the rock I have mentioned served to guide 
us ; but the sun soon sunk below the horizon, and left 
us for a time in darkness. The sky was clear, and a 
bright star soon came out, by which we steered our 
course towards the river. The chief danger now to 
be apprehended, was from the fallen trunks of trees, 
or any soft bogs into which our horses might sink. 
After a time the moon got up, and showed us more 
clearly our way. On we pushed, therefore, for though 
the Indians might not follow us in the dark, we were 
very certain that they would directly it was day ; and 
our great aim was to get to some rocky spot by the 
bank of the river, where we might, by having the 
stream on our side, the more easily defend ourselves, 
y umpire bats and owls, and other night-birds flew by ; 
and snakes and noxious reptiles crossed our path as we 
rode on ; but nothing stopped us. 

We pulled up when we reached the rock which had 
at first guided our course, and consulted whether we 
should take up our position there for the night, and 
prepare to defend it against the savages ; but it was 
finally agreed that we would travel on till we reached 
the river. The journey would knock up our horses, but 
as we should have no further need of them, that could 
not be taken into consideration. Nita bore up very 
well ; indeed she seemed to suffer from fatigue as little 
as any of us. Sometimes her husband carried her child, 


350 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

and sometimes Ned took charge of it. About midnight 
a halt was called, on an elevated spot, whence we could 
command a tolerably clear view on all sides. We re- 
quired to rest and feed our horses as well as ourselves, 
though we could not venture to light a fire, which 
would have betrayed our position to our pursuers. 
While we rested and ate, we kept a vigilant watch ; 
for though it was not probable that the Indians would 
have followed close to our heels, it was just possible 
that they might have done so, as in consequence of 
the numerous impediments in our way, a quick-footed 
man might have gone almost as fast as we did. 

While I was gnawing away at the leg of the monkey, 
and looking out at the same time into the darkness 
below, I saw something move across an open glade. It 
came nearer, and stopped at a spot where the moon- 
beams streamed full upon it, when I saw that it was a 
large jaguar. He sat upon his hind-legs and looked 
at us very wistfully, as if he should like to secure one 
of us for supper. Presently he moved again and came 
a little nearer, when he sat down to look at us as 
before. I was going to have a shot at him, but Manco 
restrained me, observed that it might be heard by the 
Cashibos, and lead them to us. Still the jaguar crept 
nearer, and once more stopped to watch us. If he 
was hungry, we must have been very tempting to him. 
Our Indians at last thought it was no joke, for in 
another moment the jaguar might have picked one of 
us off ; so they set up so loud a scream that they made 
him turn about in a fright, and scamper off into the 
forest. As this would to a certainty have led the 
Cashibos to us, if they were in the neighbourhood, 
we once more mounted and continued our journey^ 


ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS. 


351 


Sometimes I thought I heard the savages behind us ; 
but the sound proved to be the cry of some bii’d or 
beast of prey. 

No other adventure occurred, and, as day dawned, 
the calm waters of the river appeared shining brightly 
through the trees. A little further on rose close to the 
stream a high rock, the river face of which was almost 
a perpendicular precipice, while that inland was steep 
and rugged in the extreme. The top was of sufficient 
extent, it appeared, to enable us to pitch our huts on 
it, and to keep our horses there, it necessary. Having 
surveyed it, we discovered a path by which we could 
hope to lead up our horses, every other side being too 
difficult for men, even unencumbered with burdens, 
to climb up. After some trouble, we reached the top, 
whence we found a fine view up and down the river, 
and over a wide extent of forest on either side. 

‘The sooner we turn this place into a castle, the 
better for us, mate,’ observed Ned. ‘ What say you ? 
We must get some trees down first, though.’ 

I told Manco what the sailor said, and he instantly 
agreeing, we set to work forthwith to cut down all the 
trees which grew around^ and which might serve as a 
covert to the enemy, and would form palisades for us. 

We set to work with a will with hatchets and knives, 
and in an hour had cut stakes enough to fence in the 
whole rock. Where the soil was of sufficient depth we 
drove them into it ; and at the other places we piled 
up stones, which we brought up from the margin of 
the river. We gave ourselves not a moment’s rest; 
even while we were eating we were sharpening the 
stakes. Ned set the example, and we all imitated 
him. In more important points, as a leader, Manco 


352 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

showed himself fit to be a chief ; but the British sea- 
man, where manual work was concerned, was his 
superior. By noon we had a very respectable stockade 
run up, such as might withstand an attack for a short 
time from any ordinary enemy hot possessed of fire- 
arms. All the trees and shrubs on the sides of the 
rock had been cut away, and stones had been piled 
up near all the more accessible points, to serve as a 
rampart, or to be used as weapons of defence. 

‘ Now, mates,’ exclaimed Ned, after he had walked 
with an air of satisfaction round our fortifications, ‘ the 
work is done, so let’s pipe to dinner.’ 

To dinner, accordingly, we went; and one of our 
dishes was the sloth I had shot, and we had some 
more monkeys, and several birds, which we had 
brought hung on to our saddles. We were obliged 
to light a fire, and we did not fear to do so, as we 
knew that in daylight the Indians would just as easily 
track us without its guidance as with it. After dinner 
we began to construct our huts in a more substantial 
way than usual, as we should be compelled, we knew, 
to live here some time to build our canoe. Every- 
thing depended on the rapidity with which we could 
work, so as to be in perfect readiness to receive an 
attack from the cannibals, should they have ventured to 
follow us. It was night before all our arrangements 
were concluded; and as during the whole time we 
had not given ourselves a moment’s rest, we were well 
nigh worn out. It was necessary, however, to keep 
a watchful guard during the night, for which purpose 
we divided ourselves into three watches. We slept 
with our weapons by our sides, ready for instant use. 
When it came to my turn to watch, I walked round 


ATTACKED BY WILD INDIANS. 


853 


the ramparts to keep myself awake, for I was well 
aware of the cunning of the Cashibos, and that they 
always make their attacks at night. As I stopped 
for a moment, a long, shrill plaintive cry came through 
the night air, followed by three others of the same 
length, gradually deepening in tone, and which had a 
pecuharly melancholy expression. At first I thought 
the cry must have arisen from some human being in 
distress. I remarked it to the Indian who was watch- 
ing with me. 

‘ Ah, that sound comes from a little bird,’ he an- 
swered. ‘We call it the alma perdida. It is bewail- 
ing the dead, and good cause has it now to sound its 
notes — Aye de meT 

The night passed on, and though on several occa- 
sions I fancied that I could distinguish the forms of 
the savage Cashibos skulking round us, none appeared, 
and daylight once more returned. 


z 


354 


MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


CHAPTER XXL 

CONCLUSION. 

VOYAGE ON THE AMAZON — ^PARA — SAIL FOR RIO DB 
JANEIRO ^ALl’s WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 

Our first care in the morning was to search for a tree 
which might serve us to scoop into a canoe, till lower 
down the Amazon we might fall in with one large 
enough to convey us to Para. Fortunately we dis- 
covered one to suit our purpose close to the rock, and 
we instantly set to work to bring it to the ground. 
Thanks to Manco’s forethought in providing us with 
good hatchets, in the course of three hours it lay 
prostrate on the ground, a piece of about thirty-five 
feet long being marked off to form the canoe. All 
day we worked at it, one man at a time being stationed 
on the highest point of the rock to give notice of the 
approach of an enemy. Before night we had made 
some progress in fashioning the bow, and in scooping 
out the inside. The night passed off as before, and 
we began to hope that the Cashibos had had a suffi- 
cient taste of our quality, and did not intend to attack 
us. Xed expressed his opinion that it would be neces- 
sary to build up some sides to our canoe ; and as we 
had no means of sawing planks, we looked out for 
some tough smooth bark to answer the purpose. The 


VOYAGE ON THE AMAZON. 


355 


Indians sewed the pieces we stripped from the trees 
neatly together ; and afterwards they collected a quan- 
tity of black bees’ wax, with which to cover the seams. 
An Indian occupies the greater part of a year in making 
his canoe : we calculated that we could do the work, 
with the aid of our iron tools, in ten days or a fort- 
night. Three days had passed away, and still no 
Cashibos had appeared. 

‘ They will, I suspect, not come at all,’ I remarked 
to Manco. 

‘Do not be sure of that,’ he answered. ‘You do 
not know their savage and revengeful natures. They 
will lie in wait often for weeks or months together, to 
destroy an enemy. I’m afraid that they have only 
gone to collect their friends, and will be down on us 
in greater numbers.’ 

The fifth night passed away, and the sixth night 
came. Our canoe, though far from complete, was 
sufficiently hollowed out to form a boat, and Ned 
had that day shaped some paddles ; but we had still 
to build up the sides, and to pay over the whole with 
wax, to make it water-tight ; also to put in seats, and 
half-decks to the bow and stern, as well as to provision 
her, to make her fit for our voyage down the river. It 
was my watch, and Pedro and one of the Indians were 
with me. 

‘Hist, Senor!’ said the latter. ‘I hear an enemy’s 
footsteps on the ground. The sound comes down 
upon the wind. They think we are asleep, or they 
would be more cautious. Lie down, and we will not 
undeceive them till they are close to us.’ 

‘ You are right’ I answered ; and I crept silently to 
where Pedro was standing, and told him what the 


356 MANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

Indian had said, desiring him also to rouse up the rest, 
to be ready for action. 

In another minute all hands were at their posts. 
We were only just in time; for presently we could 
distinguish through the stockades a number of tall 
savage-looking figures collected among the trees ; and 
an arrow, with a burning head, was sent flying into 
the centre of our fort. It stuck in the ground, and 
did no damage. Instantly it was followed by a whole 
flight, and the most terrific yells and cries rent the air, 
as some hundreds of the fiercest-looking savages were 
now rushing on towards the fort. 

‘ Now, be steady, and fire,’ cried Manco. 

We did, and each of us hit his man ; our Indians 
at the same time sending their arrows from their bows 
as fast as they could draw the string, returning those 
which the Cashibos had sent. Several of our enemies 
had fallen by the time they had reached the foot of 
the hill. Still they came on, and began to climb the 
rocks. If they succeeded in getting up, and climbing 
over the stockades, we saw we should to a certainty 
be overwhelmed. On they came with terrific cries and 
yells. Again and again we fired, and rarely missed ; 
but their numbers were so great, that little impression 
was made on them. They found, however, as they got 
higher up, their difficulties increased. Our Indians 
plied them rapidly with arrows, and at intervals tumbled 
down the stones on their heads, and we continued 
loading and firing without cessation. We could almost 
reach them with our spears ; and so crowded together 
were they, that they impeded each other’s movements. 
This gave us a great advantage, of which we did not 
fail to profit ; and seizing the largest stones at hand, 


VOYAGE ON THE AMAZON. 


357 


vre dashed them down on their faces, and knocked them 
off the cliff. Their places were, however, speedily 
supplied by others, and at length some of them suc- 
ceeded in reaching the stockades. Now came the tug 
of war; for the fighting was hand to hand, where 
numbers would have the advantage. Just then I re- 
collected the effect our horses had had on them before ; 
and calling Manco, we mounted two which stood be- 
hind the hill, ready saddled, and dashed forward at 
the enemy with our spears in our hands, uttering loud 
shouts. The apparition so startled the foremost ranks, 
that they turned round to fly, hurrying those behind 
them back also. Seeing the success of our manoeuvre, 
we told the rest to follow our example. Nita, who 
had been by the side of Manco, leaped on a horse. 
Ned took hold of her baby ; and the Indians, leading 
the baggage-horses, we prepared to gallop down the 
rock, and to charge the main body of the Cashihos. 
It seemed an act of desperation, but it was our only 
chance. Our arrows and stones were exhausted, and 
our ammunition would not have held out much longer. 
Our enemies, seeing us coming on with so bold a front, 
were seized with a panic ; and, with loud cries, they 
all turned round and fled into the woods, leaving some 
dozen or more of their number dead on the field. 

‘ We may now rest where we are, I suppose,* I 
observed to Manco. 

‘No, no !* he answered. They will go away, and 
hold a war council, and return again before long. We 
must get away from hence, and put the river between 
us before dayhght, or we shall suffer from it.’ 

Accordingly we descended from our rock, and secur- 
ing the horses to the trees, we united our strength, and 


358 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

launched our unfinished canoe into the water. The 
wood of which she was composed was so light that 
she floated high ; but to give her greater buoyancy, we 
secured a quantity of dry rushes round the gunnel ; 
and we found that when our stores were in her, there 
was room for all the party. 

‘ Come, mates, it’s time to be under weigh, if we are 
not to wait till the Injuns are back upon us,’ shouted 
Ned. But one of our Indians was missing. 

While I was looking round for him, a bright light 
shone from the top of the rock, and soon afterwards 
he made his appearance. I found that he had gone 
back to light a fire, to make the Cashibos suppose we 
were still on the rock. Ned’s voice again summoning 
us, we embarked in the canoe ; and the horses being 
fastened to their halters, plunged into the water after 
us, encouraged by the voices of the Indians. Ned, 
Manco, Pedro, and I seized the paddles, and away wo 
went down the stream, gradually edging over to tho 
opposite side. The horses, having been accustomed 
to cross rivers, swam well ; and for half an hour w© 
continued our course, till we reached a convenient 
landing place. Our poor horses were very much ex- 
hausted ; but we reflected that had we left them on tho 
other side, they would have fallen into the hands of tho 
Cashibos. Our intention had been to have sent them 
back with the Indians ; but the men had petitioned so 
hard to be allowed to accompany Manco, that he 
could not refuse them • and we, therefore, were com- 
pelled to turn our animals loose, with a hope that they 
might escape being devoured by jaguars or shot by 
Indians. 

We had landed in a little bay, the entrance of 


VOYAGE ON THE AMAZON. 


359 


wliich was concealed from the opposite shore. By aid 
of our horses, we dragged up our canoe, which already 
had begun to leak from want of caulking. Close to 
us was a rock, very similar to the one we had left, 
and to this we resolved to fly if we were again attacked ; 
but Manco and the Indians expressed an opinion that 
the Cashibos would not attempt to follow us across the 
stream. 

As soon as daylight returned, all hands set to work 
to finish the canoe. Some went to collect more bees’ 
wax and bark, others fastened the bark to the part 
scooped out, and others put in the seats and decks, 
Ned acting the part of master-shipwright, and direct- 
ing the whole, being actively employed with his own 
fingers at the same time. Three more days were Occu- 
pied in finishing the canoe. At night we were afraid 
of lighting a fire, lest we should show the Cashibos our 
position, or we should have worked even then. We 
slept as before, with our arms ready for instant action. 
Our Indians shot seme monkeys and three peccaries, 
with some birds, which served us for provision for 
some days ; but we had no fear of being in want of 
food, as we were certain of finding an abundance of 
turtle on the banks of the river, and further down, of 
being able to purchase from friendly Indians, plantains, 
bananas, guavas, granadillas, pine-apples, water-melons, 
and many other fruits and vegetables. We waited till 
morning, and having bade farewell to our poor horses, 
we launched our canoe, and stepping into her, pushed 
off into the stream. We were but just in time to escape 
our enemies, for as we passed down we saw the shore 
lined with the Cashibos, who were launching a number 
of balsas and rafts with the evident intention of cross- 


860 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

ing to destroy us. They sent a flight of arrows after 
us, but as the river was here though somewhat shallow, 
yet very broad, by keeping over to the opposite bank, 
we escaped them. We had now paddles for all hands, 
and we plied them vigorously. Pedro and I found it 
at first very tiring work ; but Manco, Ned, and the In- 
dians were accustomed to it. The scenery we passed 
was often very fine, when the river ran between high 
rocks and ranges of hills. From the character of the 
country we felt sure that we should far outstrip any 
pursuers. To make certain, however, we paddled on 
the greater part of the night, the sharpest-eyed of the 
Indians being stationed at the bow to warn us of any 
danger we were approaching. Towards the morning 
we pulled into a little sandy bay, where we landed, 
and threw ourselves down wrapped in our cloaks, to 
obtain some rest. Scarcely was I asleep when I felt 
something pitch down upon my nose. I looked up, but 
no one was near me. I went to sleep again, when my 
head got a disagreeable thump, and so it went on. At 
last I shifted my position, but still the knocks con- 
tinued, though I was too sleepy to heed them. Awak- 
ing at dayhght I looked up, and in the trees overhead 
I discovered a large family of monkeys, who had, I 
doubt not, thus been amusing themselves at my ex- 
pense. We were speedily again under weigh, and the 
stream running rapidly, we made, I dare say, from 
forty to fifty miles a day. We passed two or three 
rapids, down which we had to lower our canoe, and to 
carry her cargo by land. One was so dangerous that 
we judged it safer to haul her on shore, and to drag 
her over the ground to the lower side. This we did 
by means of rollers placed under her bottom, but the 


VOYAGE ON THE AMAZON. 


361 


operation occupied us a whole day, and so weary were 
we, that we were very thankful the Indians did not 
think of attacking us that night. After this, the river 
became deep and free from obstructions of all kinds, 
so that we were able to allow the canoe to drop down 
Ihe stream at night, two at a time only paddling, while 
the others slept. In this manner we made rapid pro- 
gress. Sometimes, when there were no signs of natives, 
we landed, and built huts to rest in at night. We 
generally took these occasions to catch turtle, while 
our Indians went to hunt in the neigbourhood, and 
never failed to bring us back a supply of game. In 
about ten days after our escape from the Cashibos, we 
sighted a village built close to the banks of the river. 
It consisted of only eight or ten houses, but then each 
house was of great extent, with many divisions, and 
was the habitation of a considerable number of families. 
The sides were of cane, without any cement between 
the interstices, and the roofs were neatly formed of 
palm leaves. A turn of the river brought us upon it 
before we had time to pull to the opposite side, when 
-a number of the inhabitants came forth with pacunas^ 
their deadly blow-pipes, in their hands, prepared to 
shoot at us. Our Indians instantly hailed them, and 
informed them that a great chief was in the canoe, and 
entreated their hospitality. After a short consultation 
•a friendly reply was given, and we pulled to the shore. 
As soon as we landed they came down and led us up 
to their houses. 

There was something agreeable in their counte- 
nances, though their flowing hair and painted faces and 
legs and bodies gave them an extravagantly savage 
appearance, increased by their teeth being blackened, 


362 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


and by the bead ornaments which they wore round 
their necks, ankles, and wrists. The men wore a long 
loose robe, and the women one of shorter dimensions. 
There was little neatness in the internal economy of 
their dwellings. At the end farthest from the door 
was the fire-place, surrounded with pots and jars of 
many sizes. On each side were raised platforms for 
bed-places, and pieces of beaten bark for bedding, 
covered with musquito curtains. Bows, arrows, lances, 
pacunas or blow-pipes, were hung to the posts or 
rafters, an axe and a knife in some cases : bowls made 
from calabashes, earthen jars to hold chica, water and 
young turtles ; a few blocks of wood for seats, a few 
baskets, a ladder to reach to the roof, a wooden trough 
in which masata is made, and a rude sort of loom, 
complete the furniture; from which list must not be 
omitted the lady’s dressing box which contains her 
paints and brushes, as well as her trinkets. The centre 
of the house is always left unoccupied, as beneath it 
are buried the members of the family who die, the 
living thus becoming the guardians of the dead. They 
gave us an abundant repast off vaca marina or manatee^ 
called in English a sea-cow (a curious fish which I 
must describe), turtle, monkeys, and a variety of vege- 
tables and fruits. 

Our friends were great fishermen as well as sports- 
men. The next morning I accompanied some of them 
in their canoes to catch a vaca marina. They watched 
for the animal till his snout appeared above water, 
when they killed it with their spears. In appearance 
it was something like a huge seal ; but it has no power 
to leave the water. It was about twelve feet long, 
with a large muzzle armed with short bristles, and 


VOYAGE ON THE AJIAZON. 


3G3 


small eyes and ears. It had two thick fins and a 
longish thick tail; was very fat, and of a dark blue 
colour. To bring it home a canoe was sunk under its 
body ; and when bailed out, it floated it up with per- 
fect ease. The meat was in taste something between 
pork and beef. A large quantity of oil was extracted 
from the blubber. 

Turtle flesh forms one of the principal articles of 
food of the people living on the banks of the rivers ; and 
a very valuable oil is also extracted from the eggs, of 
which one female lays a hundred and fifty in a season. 
It is used instead of butter. 

The fiercest inhabitants of the Amazon, and of its 
large and numerous tributaries, are the lagartos^ cai- 
mams, or alligators. In some parts they are seen bask- 
ing in the sun, like logs of wood thrown up by the tide, 
with their enormous mouths kept open ready to catch 
the flies which settle on their lower jaw. Alligators 
lay eggs, and it is said that as soon as they are hatched 
the young ones try to run on to their mother’s back, and 
that the male alligator, who has come for no other pur- 
pose, eats all which fail to take refuge there, aided by 
the gallinasos and other, birds of prey. Their na- 
tural food appears to be fish; and the Indians say 
that they will make a party of twelve or more, and that 
while one division blockades the entrance of a creek, 
the other will swim down, flapping their tails, and 
drive the fish into the jaws of their devourers. When 
they cannot procure fish, they will land and destroy 
calves and young foals, dragging them to the water’s 
edge to eat them. When once they have tasted human 
flesh, it is asserted that they will take great pains to 
obtain it, upsetting canoes, and seizing people asleep 


364 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

near the banks, or floating on their balsas. I have 
seen an Indian attack and kill an alligator in the water 
with a sharp knife. The Indian in one hand took a 
a fowl, and in the other his knife. He swam till it got 
opposite the alligator, when it made a spring at the 
fowl. On this he left the fowl floating, and diving 
below the surface, cut the belly of the monster open 
with his knife. I have seen one twenty feet long ; and 
what with his enormous head, and horrid eyes almost 
projecting out of his head, the impenetrable armour 
which covers his body, the red colour of his jaws, his 
sharp teeth, and his huge paws and tail, make him 
oertainly a very hideous monster. 

The most deadly weapon the Indian of the Pampas 
uses is his pacuna or blow-pipe, out of which he sends 
his arrows, dipped in the fatal wourali poison. The 
poison takes its name from the wourali vine, the scraped 
wood of which, and some bitter roots, form the chief 
ingredients, boiled together. The rites and incanta- 
tions employed, and the numerous other articles added 
to the poisonous cauldron, may remind one of the 
weird sisters’ concoction in Macbeth. The pacuna is 
composed of a very delicate thin reed, perfectly smooth 
inside and out, which is encased in a stouter one. 
The arrows are from nine to ten inches long, formed 
of the leaf of a species of palm, hard and brittle, and 
pointed as sharp as a needle. At the butt-end some 
wild cotton is twisted round, to fit the tube. About 
an inch of the pointed end is poisoned. Quivers are 
made to hold five or six hundred of these darts. The 
slightest wound causes certain death within a few 
minutes, as the poison mixes with the blood, and com- 
pletely paralyses the system, causing, probably, little 


VOYAGE ON THE AMAZON. 


365 


or no pain. The pacuna is very similar to the sumpitan^ 
used by the inhabitants of Borneo and other people in 
Che Eastern Archipelago, though the latter are not 
acquainted with the wourali poison. 

I must hurry on, I find, with my adventures. For 
several days we proceeded down the Ucayali, till we 
arrived at a point where a small river, called the 
Shaunga, falls into it. The stream was broad and 
tranquil, and vast trees grew down to the water’s 
edge; while in the far distance, to the south and 
east, rose ranges of lofty mountains, reminding us of 
the distant Andes in miniature. Manco pointed them 
out to Nita. 

‘There,’ he said, ‘is our future home, till the 
Spaniards have learned not to despise the Indian 
race. Then we will return, and once more endeavour 
to regain hberty for Peru, and to restore the dominion 
of the Incas.’ 

We here landed, and built some huts to last us a 
few days, while Manco sent one of our Indians as an 
ambassador to the chiefs of the villages, to crave the 
hospitality of the tribe. We employed the time till 
the return of the messenger in fishing and shooting, 
and in preparing the canoe for a longer voyage ; for 
which purpose we fitted her with a mast and sail, a 
very patch-work affair, made out of our saddle-cloths 
and some bits of cotton stuff, which Manco had 
brought with him. 

One day about noon, the sound of an Indian trumpet 
was heard; and soon afterwards, a dozen warriors 
appeared, their faces and bodies highly painted, and 
adorned with a profusion of beads. They were clothed 
in the usual loose tunics, and armed with shields and 


366 MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

clubs, ornamented with the antlers of a stag and richly 
tinted feathers, one end being sharp, to use as a spear ; 
as also with bows and arrows, and lances. They were, 
I found, of the Sends tribe. These people live in good 
houses, cultivate the ground, and use canoes, and are 
a very intelligent and warlike people. 

The present party came to welcome Manco to their 
country, and to express their willingness to afford him 
an asylum as long as he chose to remain among them, 
it was with deep regret that we parted from him and 
Nita and their child. He was too sensible to ask me 
to remain with him, feeling that, as a civilised man, I 
had my vocation elsewhere. 

‘ I hope to be of some use to these poor people in 
improving their condition,’ he observed with a sigh. 
‘ The employment will serve to soothe my weary exile.’ 

Manco, and Nita with her child in her arms, stood 
on the shore, as, hoisting our sail, we steered our course 
down the river. I watched them with aching eyes and 
a sad heart, till they faded from my sight. Many 
years since then have passed away, but I have never 
received any account of my brave and noble friend. 
He may have returned to Peru, when the War of Inde- 
pendence broke out, and the creoles threw off the yoke 
of Spain. At that time a large number of Indians 
joined the liberal party, under the idea that if the 
Spaniards were driven out, their freedom and ancient 
institutions would be restored; but they found that 
under the new republic their condition was but little 
if at all improved. Many, I am told, however, still 
look forward to the time when Manco or his son 
shall appear, and the Inca and his race shall rule the 
land. 


PARA. 


367 


I wish that I had space to describe our very inte- 
’resting voyage down the Amazon. I saw enough to 
nonvince me of the fertility of the soil, and the vast 
number of productions to be found in its neighbour- 
hood, and on the banks of .the many rivers which run 
into it. 

After some weeks we reached the station of a Por- 
tuguese missionary priest, who received us most hospi- 
tably; and finding that he was about to despatch a 
vessel to Para, we were glad to abandon our canoe, 
^nd to embark in her. She was about thirty feet 
long and eight broad, the after part being decked 
with a house thatched with palm leaves, which served 
as the cabin for the passengers. In the fore part was 
a frame-work, covered also with palm leaves, under 
which the crew stood to paddle. In the centre was 
a mast, with a large square sail set on it. We had 
received as gifts several monkeys and parrots, and 
other birds and beasts, which now served to amuse 
us, as our own toils were over. Some parts of the 
Amazon, down which we sailed, were three miles wide, 
and appeared like large lakes. For many hundreds 
of miles steamboats might penetrate into the interior 
of that magnificent region; and I hope that the 
enterprise which is every day making new fields for 
its employment, may be directed ere long to that 
direction, to carry the advantages of civilisation 
among the numerous interesting tribes who inhabit its 
shores. 

It was with much satisfaction that we reached the 
Portuguese city of Para, situated on the river of that 
name. From the sandy nature of the soil, and the 
steady trade-winds which blow from the east, the 


368 


MANGO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 


city, though but little above the level of the sea at 
high water, is perfectly healthy. There are a good 
many public buildings, and several largos or open 
spaces in the city; but the private residences have 
little pretension to beauty, though they are con- 
structed with a due regard to afford as much shade 
and coolness as possible. We remained here but 
two days ; for, finding a schooner sailing for Rio 
de Janeiro, and there being no chance of a vessel 
direct to England for many months, we resolved to 
go in her. 

I shall never forget the intense delight with which 
Ned walked the deck as he once more found himself 
afloat on the open ocean. 

‘ This is what I call life, mate — true life,’ he ex- 
claimed ; ‘ and it will be a long time before you find 
me out of sight of blue water again.’ 

Our schooner, the ‘ Felicidade,’ had a rapid passage 
to Rio de Janeiro. I cannot stop to describe that city, 
which has now become the capital of an empire. In- 
deed I saw very little of it. Nor can I picture its mag- 
nificent harbour, large enough to hold all the navies in 
the world. My first care, on going on shore, was to 
learn what ships were about to start for Europe. I 
found that one was sailing the very next morning. 
Ned, on hearing this, said he would go on board and 
look at the craft, while Pedro and I waited for him on 
the quay. He soon came back, and said that the 
‘ Susan’ was a fine large brig ; that he liked her appear- 
ance, and as she was short of hands he had engaged 
for the passage home at good wages. There was, he 
understood, an English family going home in her ; but 
as she would have room for two more passengers, he 


all’s well that ends well. 


369 


advised me to return with him to secure berths for 
Pedro and myself. We, accordingly, forthwith went 
on board. 

‘ Your name, sir,’ said the master, when I told him 
my object. 

‘ David Rexton,’ I replied. 

‘ Rexton ! that is very extraordinary,’ he replied. 
‘ Why, that is the name of my other passengers.’ 

‘ Oh ! how my heart beat with strange, wild, fearful, 
yet hopeful emotions at these words. I should have 
fallen on the deck, had not the kind-hearted man sup- 
ported me. 

‘ Where are they ? ’ I at length found words to say. 

‘In the cabin at this moment,’ he replied. ‘But 
stay, I have heard much about them, and suspect who 
you are. Do you go forward with my mate there, and 
stay quiet for a little time ; while I go and prepare 
them for your appearance. By-and-by we will intro- 
duce your friend here, and he can tell them he has seen 
you alive and well.* 

I put myself under the good master’s directions ; and 
I need scarcely say that Heaven had mercifully pre- 
served my beloved parents, and thought fit to re-unite 
me to them. The very night the village, where they 
had taken refuge, was attacked, the faithful Ithulpo 
had warned them in time to enable them to fly to the 
mountains, where they had concealed themselves in the 
hut of an aged Indian. Ithulpo had, unfortunately, 
quitted them, to look for some of their horses; and 
they had seen no more of him. From the hut of the 
Indian, after a detention of some weeks, they succeeded 
in reaching the coast, and getting on board a merchant- 
man, engaged in smuggling. She directly afterwards 
2 A 


370 BIANCO, THE PERUVIAN CHIEF. 

sailed; and rounding Cape Horn, they put into the 
magnificent harbour of Rio de Janeiro, for water and 
provisions. Here my father found that the affairs of a 
branch of theii* house would much benefit by his pre- 
sence. He accordingly had remained, till I so for- 
tunately arrived. 

We finally reached England in safety. Hed re- 
fused to touch any of the gold given to us by Manco ; 
and I, feeling that I could do no less than follow 
the noble fellow’s generous example, devoted it to 
the service of Pedro, who was thus enabled to obtain 
the best education England could afford. Some years 
afterwards he went to Peru, and succeeded in recover- 
ing the larger portion of his father’s property. He 
fought in the War of Independence, when his native 
country threw off the yoke of Spain ; but deeply dis- 
appointed in the result of that struggle, he lived in 
retirement on his estate, devoting himself to doing good 
to the surrounding population. 

He wrote me word that he had made every inquiry 
for Manco, but could hear nothing of him. The Inca 
noble probably perceived that the War of Independence 
could do little to ameliorate the condition of his people, 
and refused to leave his retreat. 

My tale is ended. Since the period of my adventures 
in Peru I have visited many countries, and witnessed 
many strange scenes ; and this I can assert, that every 
event of my life has tended to confirm the lessons given 
me by my father, to increase my reliance on God, and 
to convince me more and more that He orders all things 
for the best ; and that when He thinks fit to aflfiict His 
creatures. He has some wise object in view, even 
though we may not be able to discover it. Therefore, 


all’s well that ends well. 371 

T say to my young friends, learn what is right to be 
done, and do it, fearless of consequences, and trusting 
in Heaven. Seek not for the reward of man, and be 
assured that God will care for you here, and more 
than amply repay you hereafter. 



THE END. 





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24 


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To follow in due course. 

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30 


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31 


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* * These works are recommended in the published Code of the 
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32 


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ELEMENTARY FRENCH and GERMAN WORKS. 

L’ Ab4c6daire of French Pronunciation : A Manual for Teachers 
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Der Schwatzer, or The Prattler. An Amusing Introduction to 
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